Towryk Eyes
by GideonRynn
Summary: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack. ::hysterical laughter:: Ready, de gozaru ka? Well, I clean up the mess I made ::snicker, cough:: Sort of. At least you now understand that Azuma has a rack... ::gag reflex:: I don't even know what's gonna happen. O_O
1. BWAAAAAAAAHAHAHA! It STAAARTS!

I know that's such a weird title but I couldn't think of anything else! Hey! It's me! My first MK fic... and I choose to MAYBE write on a relationship that I haven't seen yet... ::laughs nervously and scratches head:: Well hey, don't sue me... fans are the greatest at producing ideas that the writers never intended on giving breath to, right? But... I'm not sure which pair I want this fic to end up with! It could be... Kizna and Hiead! ::gasp:: Oh, how unheard of! Or it could be... good ol' Kizna and Zero? Or a little of both? ::shrug:: Anyway, Kizna is my fav chick and after quite a few fics, Hiead is my absolute favorite_jerk_. I do believe it shows. And Zero is my favorite... uh... _idiot_ maybe? But he's a sweeeeeeeetie!  
  
Oh, please forgive me if he seems out of character or too... jerky. Bits and pieces of introspect... but mostly good ol me being amazed at self because this is only the second time in history that I've actually done an even moderately serious fic. Okay, enough of my psycho babble. Read if you dare! ^_^  
  
  
  
------- -------------------- Towryk Eyes ---------------------------  
  
"Ugh... I feel sick... time out you guys. I think I'm gonna--!!!" Pro-Ing 88 stumbled forward, tripped, and fell flat on its front, much to the dismay of both the Candidate concealed inside and the Repairer in the control booth. Kizna smacked her forehead.  
  
"Zero..."  
  
Zero moaned, then slapped his hands to both of his ears. That RINGING! Every single time that STUPID zero-space gravity had to--! "Kizna, this is all your fault!"  
  
"WHAT?! All _my_ fault?!" she exclaimed, more out of habit than anger. This happened every single day. Kizna sighed heavily and glanced at the control panel. When would Zero ever...  
  
/Well, I ought to give him a little slack. He DID just get out of the Infirmary today.../ She frowned deeply at the thought. /Gner... he put him in the Infirmary again./ In a simulation, Hiead and Zero fought each other until things got out of hand and Hiead was in the Infirmary for three days while Zero was there for _four_.  
  
For the third time in three weeks.  
  
She shook the thought out of her head. "Zero, we're going out today to work on that phobia. Meanwhile, concentrate, okay?" She waited for an answer, but none came. Her anger turned to concern. "Zero?" No answer. Her eyes widened. "ZERO??" Out of the corner of her eye she saw a movement.  
  
Hiead.  
  
/Gner, don't you dare!/ Kizna's fists clenched in anger, watching the silver-haired pilot's Pro-Ing stalk toward her partner's downed mecha. As he pressed the foot down on Zero's head, Kizna growled. /Hiead! I WARNED YOU NOT TO TOUCH HIM!!!/  
  
"Candidate Repairer 88," warned Instructor Azuma. He gave her his most scathing look. Too bad she wasn't paying attention. In exasperation he instead turned his attention toward Pro-Ing 87, apprehensively watching the moving Pro-Ing carefully. "Number 87. Stay within battle limits. I mean it."  
  
There was no answer this time, but a very low crunching sound as the Pro- Ing crushed the other one. Inevitably all the signs went red on Kizna's control panel, and she slammed her fists down on the control panel, glaring murderously at the victor's own Pro-Ing, already making its way out of the battle grounds. Kizna had stormed off toward the docking bay before the computer even announced the winner.  
  
/That knot-headed egotistical bas--/  
  
"Kizna Towryk, hold your -- oh for crying out loud!!" Azuma rubbed his face a bit too hard and ran his fingers through his fortunately already grey hair. "Those three will be the death of me! What the heck are they, a bunch of hyenas?"  
  
Ikhny glanced nervously at the docking bay from her position. "Um, Instructor Azuma? Maybe you should go stop Kizna--"  
  
"If they want to knock each other senseless let them!" he snapped annoyedly "Maybe they'll kill each other off and I won't have to--" He stopped abruptly after half of the repairers turned to stare and he grinned broadly, shrugging. "Oh don't get your wires in a bunch. Just maybe beat each other up enough to send themselves into the Infirmary for a month or two and give _me_ a much needed _break_." He opened his hands yielding manner. "Let Rill have a headache for once!" He slammed his hands own on the nearest panel. "Is that so much to ask?!"  
  
"Instructor, can we cancel the battle now since Hiead's left? Having an uneven number and all would be unfair. And the battle destined to ensue by the docking bay is surely far more interesting--"  
  
"Clay. Shut up. Now," added Azuma ritually. "I'd rather have two bodies to repair than two to repair and one set of remains to dispose of. Its what we in the buisness like to call 'avoiding the crossfire'. Anyway, you still have Yamagi to defeat."  
  
"_Defeat_?" came the disbeliving reply from the last Pro-Ing.  
  
"Sorry. To have defeat _you_."  
  
"Saki?" attempted Clay feebly.  
  
The overtaxed Repairer sighed. "Give it up." She looked in annoyance at his utterly wacked Pro-Ing stats. "We have enough to deal with here. You just want to get out because your Pro-Ing is trashed and you don't want to get knocked out."  
  
"Have you ever heard the Earth-saying, 'I'm an observer, not a fighter'?"  
  
"Its, 'I'm a _lover_, not a fighter,' idiot. Back to work!"  
  
Clay groaned heavily. "Well, it was worth the try. It sucks that I don't get to see that fight, though." He grinned mischeviously and pushed his glasses up with his finger. "It will be _very_ interesting indeed."  
  
  
  
  
  
Hiead Gner knew what was coming. Hiead knew that _she_ was coming, and the thought intrigued him, though he wouldn't let himself linger on the fact. He hadn't had a _good_ fight in quite some time, and was itching for a little action. The Infirmary was the most boring place in all of G.O.A. The least they could have done was let them train.  
  
Still, though, he walked slowly to the exit door of the docking bay, pausing for a moment. This was the third time in a month that he had beaten Zero senseless, and with great ease... Zero hadn't gotten over his zero- gravity phobia yet, which was, to Hiead's consistent dismay, the only way he could gain a complete victory. The weakness left him that extra bit stronger, but... he frowned slightly.  
  
/Is this zero-gravity sickness the only thing keeping him from fighting to his full potential? We've barely tested our own powers, and none of my pressing has forced him to use his EX. There's so much more... to defeating him... if only I could.../ He unconsiously stepped forward. He still had barely enough time to breathe the air from outside of the docking bay as Kizna's left hook drove a close clip by his nose.  
  
By the third time she swung, he was at a 'safe' enough distance to glare at her head on. The look on his face was anything but humble. "What's your problem?"  
  
/Kizna breathe, Kizna breathe, Kizna breathe breathe BREATHE!/ She furiously repeated the words in her mind in a vain attempt to convince herself that the garnet-eyed boy was NOT worth it.  
  
And failing miserably.  
  
Very _very_ miserably.  
  
Kizna took a dangerous step toward him, fists clenched. "What kind of idiot are you?? ZERO JUST GOT OUT OF THE INFIRMARY. Zero had _already_ been out of commision, and you kept attacking him. _Why_ do you keep doing this to him?! I thought you were a little less than a monster but I can see I was wrong." She inched forward. "This is the third and _last_ time you will do this to him. Understand?"  
  
"If this is all you have to absorb my time with, I suggest you stop wasting your breath." Hiead abruptly brushed past her, eyes straight ahead. "I've got better things to do than listen to that moron's idiot rat-eared Repairer mouth me off."  
  
Kizna's ears twitched. /RAT-EARED./ Twitch. /RAT./ Twitch. /EARED?!/  
  
He got two steps before Kizna's sly voice rang in his ears. "Oh Hieeeeead? I've got a little something for you this time..."  
  
Hiead halted, annoyed. "Oh? And what could you possibly have to offer me?"  
  
Kizna, positively red-faced, jumped right into his path and punched him dead in the middle of his face. "A little Repairer treat. On the House."  
  
  
  
  
  
Zero rubbed his head gingerely and daintily stepped out of the docking bay. He touched the sore spot and winced, completely angry. "That jerk Hiead! If I could only remember what he did to me! It really doesn't matter since I'm going to punch him anyway, but he didn't hafta--" He stopped in mid-rant, mouth half open, as he watched Kizna's punch land directly in his rival's mouth. He blinked. Looked left. Looked right. Looked at Kizna. Blinked again. "Hunh? Kizna?!?"  
  
  
  
  
  
Hiead's didn't move an inch, but his mind reeled from the punch. /She didn't... she didn't actually hit me, did she?/ He took a solid step back and slowly licked his lips. The dull twang of blood sounded on his tongue and snapped him out of it. /She did./ The anger began to boil up in him, but as if on a switch, immediately dissipated when he looked up at Kizna's furious eyes... almost as if... almost as if she were _hurt_. He reprimanded himself. /Idiot Repairer. It doesn't matter if she's hurt./ The cold-hearted soldier in him returned and he licked his lips again, smiling just a little bit. "Hit a spot, did I?"  
  
"Maybe I should ask the same of you," she replied quickly, expression turning smug when the smile disappeared from Hiead's face. /Loving every second of it, Gner, you better believe it. Teach you for calling me rat- eared!/ She frowned a little bit. /Jerk./  
  
"Towryk. I will warn you once and once only. Stay out of my way before you really piss me off." He voice grew cooler. "Or next time the fact that you're a Repairer won't matter to me at all."  
  
The Repairer stopped short. "What? You're telling me that you're not fighting me because I'm a _Repairer_??"  
  
Zero, slowly recovering from shock and leaning towards anger, decided to speak up this time. "What's wrong with fighting a Repairer?"  
  
"Repairers weren't meant to fight," replied Hiead pointedly, not turning to face him, but Kizna. "They never have and they never will. Which is why they are in _here_ and we are out _there_ ."  
  
Kizna's jaw clenched. The look on her face this time was unreadable.  
  
Zero's confusion overcame his anger. He scratched his head. "Where's _out there_? Hiead, we're standing right here."  
  
Hiead spun on his heel to confront Zero, but Kizna beat him to it. She knocked Zero on the head playfully. "You idiot! What did I tell you about zero-gravity?!" She donned a smile and quickly dragged a complaining and bewildered Candidate 88 from in front of the docking bay door, sweeping past Hiead without so much as a glance. Two steps past him she stopped.  
  
"Hiead. I don't know... how you found out about me... but if you run your mouth to me one more time..." She finally turned a hugely false smile on him. "I will make you pay. And that's a promise." She again dragged Zero off. "And DON'T screw with my Candidate again."  
  
Hiead watched Kizna and Zero until the rounded the corner, then realized that he hadn't moved. He stretched his jaw and sniffed as he realized the blood from his mouth was hardening on his lip. /She actually hit me. How amusing./  
  
Somehow, though, he wasn't laughing.  
  
"--so I tried to let him hit me, but still he couldn't even land a punch!" Yamagi Kushida came through the doors, closely followed closely by Roose Sawamura, arm slung behind his head. They both froze in their tracks when they spotted Hiead.  
  
Hiead glared. "WHAT."  
  
Roose opened his mouth, then closed it again. Yamagi didn't even try. Just gaped. They just looked at each other.  
  
Clay walked slowly through the doorway, hands grasping his ears. He looked about as peeved as an intellectual could look. "YAMAGI! I'm gonna--" He stopped when he saw Hiead and let his eyes drop to his jaw. He barely concealed a grin and drew nearer, finger to chin, inspecting the bruise on Hiead's lip. "Uh, hello, Hiead! How are you feeling today?"  
  
Hiead growled. "Like snapping the neck of a candidate if you know what I mean."  
  
"IDOSOROOSEAREYAHUNGRYITHOUGHTSOLETSGOGETSOMEFOODBYECLAY!" declared Yamagi, snagging Roose's jacket and speeding away, nearly knocking over Saki in the process.  
  
"Hey, put some brakes on that thing!" she managed to yell. She turned to Hiead and Clay and gave Hiead a nuetral look. "Let's go, Clay."  
  
Clay adjusted his glasses. "But I thought I'd--"  
  
"NOW!" She ran up to him and grabbed his collar, dragging him past Hiead without a glance. "No study here. You've got a lot of training to do."  
  
"Saaaikiiiiii!" Hiead watched the two go off into the distance. The minute he heard Ikhny's voice call for him he stalked off in the other direction.  
  
"Idiot Repairer."  
  
  
  
  
  
After a few minutes of dragging Kizna let Zero go and he led the way. "You know, that Hiead is such an idiot. I'll beat him one of these days! Once I get over that darn--" He paused and turned around, realizing that Kizna was no longer following him. She stood in the middle of the hallway, head down, face hidden by her hat. Her shoulders... were trembling ever so slightly.  
  
Zero inched forward and peeked under her hat, watching as one single string of liquid escaped from her chin and hit the deck. A look of concern crossed his face. "Kizna? Why are you--"  
  
She clapped one of her hands over his mouth before he could say anything else. "You save my life everytime you make a stupid comment, you idiot."  
  
Zero's eyebrow quirked. "Hunh?"  
  
Kizna shook her head and smiled faintly, eyes, still hidden. "Nevermind. Anyway... ti... get... th... ness..." Her voice trailed off into silence.  
  
Zero leaned closer and grabbed shook her shoulders annoyedly. "What the heck are you saying?"  
  
Kizna knocked him on the head and got in his face. "I SAID TIME TO GET RID OF THAT ZERO GRAVITY SICKNESS! Let's GO Miss G.O.A!" She grinned and reached for his arm.  
  
The boy shrieked and laughed nervously, inching away. "No really, I think we should eat first."  
  
"NOW!"  
  
"NO! I don't-- KIZNA, LET ME GO!! I didn't mean to grab you, I really didn't! I'LL do ANYTHING, but please don't---NOOOOOOOOOO!!"  
  
  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
OKAAAAAAAAAAY. PLEASE tell me if I did okay... I'd really appreciate it! ^_^ ::bows:: Thank you for reading! Until next time, minna! Oh I have to say my favs!  
  
His Brother's Keeper : Nate Grey : Anything with Erts-san has to be a goodie! ^_^  
  
The Strong and the Weak : Olya / cardcaptor girl : Hiead and Ikhny. My favorite jerk gets a little lesson of the heart! Encourage her to keep going!  
  
Crash [Into Me] : Kay Willow : Oh yeah! Gundam Wing/ Megami Kouhosei fic all the way. Urge urge urge!  
  
Ai no Chikara : Enchantress101 : GET HER TO KEEP GOING! Absolutely love it! DragonballZ, tons of Gohan/Videl goodness ^_^  
  
Simple Kind of Life : Midori Bond : More Gundam Wing [no crossover]. Quatre/Noin. Yay!  
  
A Thousand Miles : Rinon Toros : A lil Chaotic Century [Zoids] ::sighs heavily:: Oh THOMAS you're so SWEEET! 


	2. Stage One : You're a Moron, Zero Enna!

Hey again! ::knocks self in head:: Gomen, minna! I took way to long getting this one up... and its relatively short at that! ::grabs collar !and slings self again wall:: Bad self! Idiot self! ::pant pant:: Okay. Enough of my mindless blabbering. You don't want to hear that! Anyway, thank you EVER SO MUCH for all of your reviews! Thanks Logan (I shudder as well), Blank (laughs), Isaacy (sugar rushs are awesome), Tezza (hE'S A JERK! All together now--!), Maggy d (your wish is my command) In fact... all of your wishes are my command, because I was leaning toward... ah, you'll find out. ^_^ PLease please please keep reviewing so that can know how to get *better* ^_^ I trust you guys to give helpful reviews. Even the cheering ones make my day! Oh.. and while you're at it... if anyone has a *better* title for this, I'd really appreciate it if you gave me a ring! sakura_maxwell@yahoo.com or AOL IM: Gideonrynn ::end of ploy to get people to e-mail her:: Again, thank you so much!  
  
Prepare for Zero/Kizna back and forth not quite stuff. ::cringes:: Actually, that sounds wierd, but if you read it you'll know what I'm talking about.  
  
  
  
-------------Towryk Eyes Pt 2--------  
  
  
  
/I really wonder sometimes if I'm even good enough for this job./  
  
"Kizna, don't be serious. You're an awesome Repairer, though you really do have bad coordination sometimes."  
  
Kizna gritted her teeth within her spacesuit, both at herself for thinking outloud, and at the boy attatched to the 40 or so foot long cord, drifting carelessly (for the moment) in space. "Zero..."  
  
He waved his arms as he we drifting. "I'm serious! Do you daydream a lot or something?" His waving unfortunately made him twist an extra bit more and he groaned. "Oh man, bad idea."  
  
The anchored Repairer looked past her charge and on to Zion. They had been there 'practicing' (meaning wrestling with each other until Kizna's strength won out and forced Zero to float into space) for nearly forty-five minutes. A hundred times and the young girl could never get used to the view on the sparkling diamond of Zion. The blue sphere radiated a peace and warmth that Kizna could find in no other except... she blinked and shook herself out of it. It was no use. She was a _Repairer_, and her _job_ was to take care of him. Nothing more...  
  
"You can't tell me you never dream, Zero." There was such a long pause that she thought he had drifted to sleep, but when she opened her mouth to ask him again his quieted voice drifted in her communication set.  
  
"Yeah, I dream." He paused again, closing his eyes, visualizing sitting in a field under a particular tree... "I dream a lot, Kizna. There are so many things that I want..." He stopped trying to get his direction coordinated and simply drifted, eyes again fixed on Zion. A note of whimsical longing entered his voice. "Maybe someday I'll get them, maybe some day I won't. There is so much -- but I'll get there someday."  
  
Kizna's expression softened and she tore her gaze away from the boy and the planet she wished so badly to land on, to explore with... "You never know, Zero. Dreams were meant to come true." She smiled and tugged on the line almost affectionately. "Hopefully one of those dreams will be realized in the next week or so, right?"  
  
He paused and managed to slowly turn around. "Kizna?" /Kizna, please look at me.../  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I've been thinking really hard about something..." He faltered and trailed off into silence again. Opened his mouth. Closed it again. He quietly groaned in frustration. /I just... ahhhh, why can't I do it?!/  
  
For some reason she found herself flushing, but managed to keep herself under control. She cleared her throat. "Zero--?"  
  
"And I'd like to know what you think about it," he rushed on.  
  
"Okay, what is it?"  
  
Another moment of silence and...  
  
"It would really suck if I died as a Candidate rather than a Goddess Pilot."  
  
The mood shattered all but instantly, and the Repairer felt she could actually see the glass shards of it drifting back off into space. Zero continued, seemingly oblivious. "You would get sent off somewhere or have to start over over, right? You'd basically be screwed. I mean, Hiead would probably rise as the next Top Candidate and you'd go back to the bottom. How would you feel if that happened?"  
  
He was answered by a severe yank on the attachment cord that sent him spiralling at a highly unacceptable (to him) speed. "Kizna!! No, please! What did I say??" He yelped and grabbed for the cord. "Let me off this ride! I want my money back!"  
  
"ZERO ENNA, you are a MORON!" yelled the jaded cat-eared individual, accentuating the rises in volume with a violent twist. "You manage to single handedly piss of the onr person who is CONTROLLING your LIFE?"  
  
"I'm sorry! What did I do? Your mood changed all of a sudden! Was there something you wanted me to say??"  
  
She stopped yanking on the cord and looked down. /Really, what did I want him to say? I couldn't have really expected him to--/ She shook her head furiously. /He's got _one_ objective, and _you_ are supposed to help _him_. Not him.../ "ZERO!"  
  
"WHAT WHAT WHAT??"  
  
She lowered her voice. "Candidate Number 88. You have _one_ objective and _one_ objective only, correct?"  
  
"Y-yes! Why are you--"  
  
"And what is it?"  
  
"To become a Goddess Pilot!" he answered honestly, smiling to himself, forgetting his zero gravity sickness another moment. "To become a Goddess Pilot and protect Zion!"  
  
Kizna felt a sharp pang in her heart hearing him say it with such emotion. She smiled and pushed her thoughts aside. "Right. And you will let no one get in your way, all right?"  
  
"Right!" His voice conveyed all of the energy he could muster, but a part of his heart wasn't into it. /Kizna, is there something you're trying to tell me?/  
  
  
  
"Not even--" she hesitated, then pushed on. "--not even me."  
  
  
  
There was a period of silence on the side and she felt her determination falter. His voice was confused, a little distant. "You?" Another moment a silence, and he burst out laughing. Kizna felt her face turning red. "Kizna, why would you get in my way?"  
  
  
  
Hiead's face flashed before her eyes and she felt her mood deteriorate. She was slow to answer. "Because I--"  
  
"Kizna, you would never get in my way because we're partners."  
  
Her head snapped up. Her cheeks flushed of their own accord. /Am I imagining things? He said it... kind of in the way he did when he was talking about protecting Zion but... different somehow./ The light glowing off of the beautiful blue planet masked the fact that Zero was no longer looking at its beauty, but _her_. Her moment and she couldn't see it. He opened his palms slightly and smiled.  
  
"We're partners."  
  
/Zero.../ "You're right. We're partners. You're going to be a Goddess Pilot."  
  
"And you're going to be a Goddess Repairer." /And stay with me./ He made a small noise and shrugged. "And forget Hiead. You're a good fighter."  
  
Kizna smiled, then sighed. "Yeah."  
  
There was a long moment of comfortable silence. Zero was content for a moment, then quickly grew bored and yawned. "Anyway, you won't get in my way." He paused. Kizna could all but hear the gears cranking in his head for his next comment. "Though you still--"  
  
"Zero?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Don't... don't ruin it, okay?"  
  
"Hunh?"  
  
"Quit while you're ahead. Just trust me on this one."  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
  
  
So, whaddaya think? I'm punishing myself for taking so long to get this out, so I'll write another one tonight and try to pull it out of my hat tomorrow! ::cheers:: Oh... and I think I just might pull a Erts/Tune one out of my hat! And if I don't going to end up eating that nonexistent hat, okay? Ja! --Deon  
  
Next Chapter: Hiead has a little Jerk-to-Jerk talk with himself (I'm sorry all you Hiead lovers! I'm not exactly bashing him... not *really* ^_^) and discovers that he's a little more alone than he thought. Azuma gets the low down on the Kizna/Hiead deal (sort of) and comes up with a rather interesting partner/partner idea. ^_^ Will all of them survive the Instructor's devious plans for them? We'll see! 


	3. Stage Two: An Instructor Gossiping with ...

Back again I see! ::bows:: Very kind of you, I must say. ::throws sly look:: Back for more Kizna/Zero fluff, are you? Well not this time! ::ducks as cans are thrown at her:: Hollup hollup hollup! I'm SORRY, aight? I can't only do SO many things at one time! yes, I have your bigger Kizna/Zero fix ALL SET UP for the _next_ chapter so CHILL THE FREAK OUT! ::pant pant:: Yeah, we're okay now. ^_^ As usual, thanks again to Issacy [MMI, I see! Live long and... uh... pray for more future episodes of MK. Oh, and prosper too!] and Tezza [yah know, its going to take time for me to get used to the winged monkey soldiers ^_^], Maggy d [trust me, babe... this is where is slows down. a LOT. sort of. and you'll SEE, you'll see... Hiead gets his FAIR part too ::grumbles though he is a JERK::], Multi-Facets [I'm glad you li-- you ALL like it ::bows:: thank you for the review!], and Jo [::claps:: I love Chemistry. Made an A in my second semester. ::laughs maniacally, then seeing no one else really laughing, calms self down:: Uh, yeah. And, uh... this... is the next chapter... ::ha...hahahaha...haha::] Thank you all again! Now enough of my blabbering! You want to see the next chapter! Well go ahead, take a peek! And the next one ought to be out tomorrow. Ja!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
----------------------------------------Towryk Eyes Pt. 3------------------- -------------------  
  
/Idiot repairers. All of them. Every single one of them./ Hiead mulled over his encounter with Kizna and the  
  
bare escape from Ikhny with tangible disgust. /Every single one./  
  
He found himself beside the door to the Relaxation room and had to physically stop himself from going inside. A look of disorientation crossed his face. /What am I doing?/  
  
/~You need rest. You're tired.~/  
  
/No I´m not./  
  
/~Stop being an idiot. You can´t keep going on like this. Not alone.~/  
  
That stopped him again. It made him think. It made him think so much that it made him angry. /I said Stop It./  
  
/~You stop. You can´t--.~/  
  
"STOP GETTING IN MY HEAD!" He let loose an angry growl and punched beside the doorway. The shudder caused the door to open and a buttery yellow light poured out into the hallway. Hiead abruptly closed his eyes to it, trying to block his senses from feeling... from feeling at all...  
  
/I can´t./ His body slumped and he leaned his head against the wall in exhausion. /I can´t. I have to be a Pilot. I have to. I have... nothing else.../ He unconsiously flexed his left hand and let it bathe itself in the warmth of the light, ever so slowly allowing his eyes to drift open. His heart faltered for just one moment, one _second_... /I.../  
  
"Hiead."  
  
He snapped himself out of the daze and stood to full attention. "Instructor."  
  
Azuma cocked an eyebrow. He had stood there for over five minutes watching the candidate wrestle with himself, but questioned him without incriminating himself or giving away his concern. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I was--" His breath caught in his throat. /What am I supposed to say? That I was fighting with myself?/ He hardened his jaw and glared at him. /I probably ought to be looking for Ikhny. She's the only one who cares where I am--/ "I was looking... for Ikhny." He blinked at himself for coming up with that answer and added in a somewhat rushed (for Hiead) tone, "for our session today."  
  
The Instructor barely avoided the desire to make Hiead squirm for his tactful lie. "Our session isn´t until today. She´ll likely be in the cafeteria."  
  
Hiead frowned. "I know."  
  
"Then get going. You´ll need to eat as well. If you pass out during the session because you're hungry you'll get no help from me."  
  
The silver haired boy scowled. "I'm not a weakling. You ought to be talking to Roose or Zero."  
  
"Ooooh?" drawled Azuma dramatically. He crossed him arms and looked down his glasses at Hiead, an I'm-The-Instructor-You-Candidate-Idiot look on his face. "Roose worked with his Repairer and got his weight down to less than half, while ZERO happens to be _training_ with his _Repairer_ right NOW." He ended on a note of purely cheerful accentuation and looked at him levelly. "_You_ on the other hand--"  
  
"I can take care of myself," said Hiead coldly, stalking past the older man. "I don't need an idiot Repairer to rely on for my self-esteem or my success." Another second and he was around the corner, out of casual ear shot.  
  
"Your REPAIRER might save your LIFE someday you know!" yelled the Instructor belatedly. He shrugged and walked on down the hallway, grumbling. "Kids. No respect." He brightened at a sudden thought, grinning profusely. "Only two things they're good for. Picking petty fights and originating unadulterated gossip!"  
  
"Azuma, what the heck are you talking to yourself about?"  
  
He spun around with a diabolical look on his face, making Rill all but wince at its implications. "Look at you. Plotting already. As much as I LOVE seeing them in the Infirmary--" implying Zero and Hiead specifically with more dripping sarcasm than neccesary, "--I think its about time you turned in your horns."  
  
"Sure thing Ms. 'Madonna in White.'" He laughed.  
  
Dr. Croford's eyes flashed. "Some day, Azuma..."  
  
He shrugged and turned to leave, but stopped himself. "Say Rill--"  
  
"NO." She spun on her heel and began walking away.  
  
"Awww, don't be like that! I was just going to ask you something about the Candidates."  
  
"I _know_."  
  
"You know, I just think that this place needs a little love," said the Instructor cheerfully. "I'm just asking that you play your part when the time comes."  
  
She slowed a bit then stopped, eyeing him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"  
  
Azuma pushed up his glasses and shrugged lightly. "You'll see when it happens." He winked and with a mischevious grin, headed for the cafeteria.  
  
  
  
"Are you kidding me?! She _punched_ him?!"  
  
"No, I'm not kidding! Right there in the mouth!" He demonstrated and bought himself a few laughs from the other tables.  
  
"Wait a second--what am I listening to you for? You didn't even see it!"  
  
"His mouth was busted up! You can look for yourself!"  
  
One of several extra students who had gathered at the table to hear his story gave him a look. "Yamagi Kushida, if you're kidding..."  
  
"Heees nut kiddink," managed Roose through a mouthful of food. He swallowed and shoved another bite in his mouth. "Wach 'im when he coms in! Its hurd to misth."  
  
Wrecka Toesing grinned broadly. "About time that JERK got his screw knocked loose! By Kizna! Why didn't I see it coming?"  
  
"Not many of us would expect a Repairer to hit a Candidate," inserted Tskukasa Kuscha intellectually. She motioned to Roose. "Would you expect me to hit Roose?"  
  
Wrecka laughed. "Hiead is a JERK. Roose just eats too much. There's a big difference."  
  
"Got a point there." They laughed and Roose's partner patted his head affectionately.  
  
"You're getting better though! A big dinner and a snack midday is a great way to keep you down until you get your eating spurts under control."  
  
He sighed heavily. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."  
  
Azuma, spotting the group of candidates and repairer's, let his curiosity get the better of him and stopped at the table, carefully masking another grin. "So, what happened?"  
  
Tsukasa gave him a gently reproving look. "An Instructor gossiping with Candidates?"  
  
He waved his hand carelessly. "I have to put up with them every day. I deserve to know what happened so I can punished them in advance for the future pain and suffering I'm going to get as a result of their ridiculous fights." He leaned closer to Yamagi and squinted. "S' what happened?"  
  
"Kizna punched Hiead in the mouth," supplied Yamagi with great enthusiasm. He pointed to a spot on his chin to indicate the place where the bruise existed. A thoughtful look crossed his face. "And even better yet, Hiead didn't _hit her back_! He was staring at her like an idiot when she left."  
  
"But he looked like he wanted to kill someone," added Roose hurriedly. "When he looked at us I thought he was going to rip us in half!"  
  
The grey-haired man scratched his chin. "He didn't hit her back, hunh?"  
  
Yamagi shook his head. "I don't think so." After a moment of thought, he smiled crookedly, leaning forward to whispher loudly, "Maybe because he likes her!"  
  
Azuma barely avoided choking. "Hiead? And Kizna? Are you--" A crash sounded behind him and he spun around.  
  
Ikhny stood there, blankly staring at the mess her cafeteria tray had made. She looked up at the people at the table then abruptly dropped to the ground, nervously placing plates and food back on her tray. Azuma stared at her a minute before composing himself and dropping to help her.  
  
"Ikhny, are you all right?" Ikhny gave him a sharp nod and he smiled. "Did something upset you just now?"  
  
"No, sir, Instructor," was all she could manage.  
  
"She's clumsy."  
  
The cafeteria literally halted to watch Hiead stand a few feet behind his Repairer, disapproving look pouring wholly into Ikhny, who did not look at him, but at her trashed food. He walked past her and chose to sit at an empty table, pointedly letting his back face her. A strangled sob escaped the small girl's lips and she quickly picked up her dirty tray, stumbling off toward the cleaning area.  
  
Hiead, on the other hand, didn't spare a glance, but continued to eat in silence. Tsukasa looked sadly in Ikhny's direction and picked up her tray, nodding at Wrecka and Yamagi. "I'll go to Ikhny. See you in ten, Yamagi. Instructor?"  
  
Azuma nodded. "Go ahead."  
  
Wrecka scrunched her nose disapprovingly after Tsukasa's departure. "That jerk Hiead. How can Ikhny stand being his partner? Can't you do anything about this, Instructor?"  
  
Silence.  
  
All remaining heads turned curiously toward the silent chief trainer, but they turned just slowly enough to miss the dawning of an idea spread, but the replacement of an authoritative look. He stood and cleared his throat.  
  
"Every Candidate has a Repairer, and every Candidate and Repairer must work together to become Pilot Candidates and Pilot Repairers. They are _stuck_ with each other until the _very_ _end_." He pinned them with a look. "If everybody switched partners because they didn't like each other than GOA would be a colonial circus." He shifted and grumbled under his breath. "Not that it isn't already." He turned to leave. "Either Ikhny must toughen up or Hiead has to soften up." /But that's not going to happen... unless.../ He creased his eyebrows. "You can't... can't _switch_... partners..." His thoughts went with him out the cafeteria door. With the exit of Azuma, the students went back to talking among themselves, some about how life on GOA was like a soap opera.  
  
"Very, very interesting," murmured Clay, who had caught the tail end of the conversation. He was so deep in thought that he missed the chair. "AH!"  
  
Saki threw up her hands. "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of GOA!" Her Candidate gave her an annoyed look and she glared back. "Do you have something to say?"  
  
"As a matter of fact," replied Clay, dusting himself off and placing himself carefully on his chair, "I do. Ikhny and Hiead? I think they're a good pair."  
  
The other students all rolled their eyes and went off to other tables. Only Wrecka, Roose, Yamagi, Saki and Clay remained.  
  
"No, I'm serious! Their traits compliment each other very well."  
  
"You've been thinking a bit too hard, Einstein. Look at them!"  
  
"I _have_," he said with emphasis. "Watch them! Ikhny and Hiead are perfect partners. The only matter is that nothing has yet challenged the potential of their partnership. If only something were to happen..." His glasses flashed as he pushed them up and stared off into space.  
  
Saki nonchalantly pulled her arm back as far as she could, then brought it down on Clay's back with a satisfying THWACK. "Less thinking. More eating. You've got another Pro-Ing match today. You need your minimal energy to fight."  
  
He winced visibly and wrapped his hands around his head. "A lover, I said! A lover!"  
  
Yamagi flicked a sly glance at the red-haired Repairer. "Oh, is that right, Saki?"  
  
"I wouldn't know. I don't think he does either."  
  
"Is that a sign of _frustration_ of some kind, Saki?"  
  
"Shut it, Yamagi."  
  
  
  
The laughs and shouts from the opposing table made Hiead cringe inside. He had never been one to... _fit in_, or join up. Ever since... ever since he could _remember_, he had never been...  
  
He bit his own tongue to stop the thoughts and roughly grabbed his tray loaded with half-eaten food. He avoided looking at the others and, hands in pockets, made his way out of the cafeteria toward the Pro-Ing training room.  
  
  
  
  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
::smacks brain:: Ugh! I'm sorry, I ended that kind of... not so good as it was supposed to be.. ::sigh:: Oh well. Give an author some credit! I can only go so long without food and sleep  
  
Kizna: ::appears with sledgehammer and hits Deon with it:: IDIOT!  
  
::tears up:: Itai! Hidoi, yo... so harsh so harsh! ::cough:: If Kizna's not careful she's going to give me writer's block! But we'll roll with while I DON'T have one, and I'll write the next chappie this afternoon.  
  
Next Chapter: Azuma sets his *plan* into action... with a little help, I must say. If you're already figured out what his plan is DON'T SAY IT YET! It's a *secret* mkay?mkay!thoughtweunderstoodeachother. Our favorite two pairs... get a little provocation of their own. Will Rill snag an extra two regulars to the Infirmary? 


	4. Stage Three:Ikhny, You Can't Kill Yourse...

Yoooooo hoo! That was quite a long break, ne? Well, Gideon is back purely for your satisfaction, minna.  
  
AS for this chapter. you're gonna kill me. You're SO gonna kill me. You're going to beat me up, slap me silly, then kill me.  
  
Anyway, I can't forget the thanks! For that we go to Kitsune (I love my Grammer, no da!) haha, Issacy (I'm sane, I promise. well, okay, I'm not), AnimeFreak (I'm caught between indulging your request and wishing to live past the next chapter and the number of those who *would* kill me if I did so. I have so got my own blacklist, but you have SO given me an idea ::ducks as knives are thrown:: Dude, CHILL! Oh, and Kizna's dream at first [if I remember correctly. do tell me if I am incorrect] was to become a Pilot just like Teela-san. Bye the female thing. get it?), Steve Jester (For giving hope to my title =P), Tezza (Looks at her like this O.o I'm getting used to the monkeys, and I think you hit the nail on the head with that cold thing haha!), and Xaphrin (::screams:: Don scare me like that! I am ridiculously tickilish. I might bust a brain, and I need that for walking). Did I forget anybody.? Ah well. Anyway, if ya wanna chat with me, e-mail me or IM me (yes, Gideonrynn for AOL), as some of you have already found out, you are guaranteed to have an. interesting conversation. Anyway, enjoy and have a happy end of summer. ::sigh::  
  
  
  
--------------------Towryk Eyes Pt 4-----------------  
  
  
  
The Candidates of GOA were most assuredly doomed.  
  
At least, that's what most of the people in GOA's halls were thinking as soon as they glanced upon the bit-too-happy grin plastered all over Azuma Hijikata's face.  
  
Needless to say, the day of reckoning had finally come.  
  
Well. sort of.  
  
Azuma arrived at the Pro-Ing training room thirty minutes ahead of schedule in his OBVIOUS excitement, which only increased when Hiead Gner turned to see him come in.  
  
A very ALONE Hiead. Oooh.  
  
Hijikata sucked in a breath and gave Hiead a smile that would have put the Cheshire cat to shame. Not a bit of his enthusiasm was lost on the prepared glare he faced. /You'd better get all your glares in NOW, Candidate, because Azuma's about to become your worst nightmare./ "WELL CANDIDATE 87, how are you FEELING this fine afternoon?" Without waiting for a reply he knew would never come through that look of hatred, the older man drew closer and patted Hiead on the shoulder. HARD. "Looks like you're missing your Repairer, Candidate. Care to explain why?" He dared to drop face to face with him. "Having to do with your happy little talk in the cafeteria?"  
  
It was pure shock that kept Hiead from spitting the most spiteful string of insults he could think of in response. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. /Hijikata must be planning something, because if this were any other time he'd avoid pissing me off to keep from screwing himself over during the training year... unless he wants the aggravation.../ He frowned. "I don't know where she is."  
  
Azuma stood slowly with an 'oh' look on his face, then pushed up his sunglasses and donned a smugger look. "Well I suggest you go find her. NOW."  
  
/What?/ "What?"  
  
"You heard what I said... go find her." He pointed to the sliding doors, smugginess [is that even a word? ^_^] practically oozing out of his smile. A note of warning entered his voice. "And don't come back until you've got her with you. Chop, chop!" Without a moment of hesitation he grabbed the unsuspecting Candidate's collar and promptly threw him out of the training room.  
  
"What the--!"  
  
"Happy hunting!" yelled Azuma before the doors slid closed and locked behind him.  
  
It was all Hiead could do to concentrate on keeping his jaw from dropping. /He just threw me out of the training ro-he just THREW ME OUT!/ His launched himself at the door and began beating against it. He can't leave me out here! "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME YOU IDIOT INSTRUCTOR!!!"  
  
"Says who?" called Azuma triumphantly, pointedly safe behind the door.  
  
The stormy-eyed boy growled. "Open this door right now."  
  
"Or what? You're gonna call your mommy?"  
  
"HIJIKATA---!!!!"  
  
"That's INSTRUCTOR Hijikata to you, Candidate!" snapped Azuma.  
  
"You're acting like a child!"  
  
"And you are one! Which means you follow my orders! Or, are you--" significant pause "Scared of your Repairer?"  
  
Hiead froze. /Yes. NO! Allecto is a weakling. Just--- what the heck am I supposed to say to her??/ He bit down and forced the words out through his teeth. "NO. I TOLD you, I don't KNOW where she IS."  
  
"You'll find out. Unless you're afraid of her, I suggest you get moving. You have only fifteen minutes." Maniacal laughter and then what sounded like someone walking away. Hiead stared in shock at the door.  
  
/This is not happening./  
  
/~Yes it is, stupid.~/  
  
Shut up! You're worthless!  
  
/~Touche.~/  
  
"Hiead--"  
  
"WHERE'S IKHNY?" demanded the boy automatically. Tsukasa Kusha, staring at the maniacal gleam in his eyes and increased breathing pattern, gave him a blank look. He consiously forced himself to calm down, biting back every urge to grab her shoulders and shake her to death. Stupid repairers. Every single-- "Could you--" he coughed and the girl cocked her head at him.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
He started again, but he couldn't quite. "Tell me... where Ikhny is." This accomplished in a somewhat calmer tone, Hiead waited impatiently for an answer.  
  
"In her room I'll guess. Hiead, be NICER to her." With this extensive commentary, Tsukasa walked back off to the cafeteria to snag her own Candidate. Hiead made an annoyed noise and stalked off in the direction of the Repairer dorms.  
  
  
  
Zero stared silently at Kizna as she unsuited, something that he had a habit of doing whether or not he was reminded of his feelings... when Kizna turned to look at him he continued staring.  
  
After a full minute of this Kizna flushed red, but didn't move. "W-What are you l-looking at, doofus?" The boy simply shrugged and she got a bit angry. "Is that all you've got to say?"  
  
A grin spread over his face without a moment's notice and he immediately turned back to his own suit, put it away, and walked out of the room without so much as a backward glance. The cat-eared Repairer blinked before dazedly unsuiting the rest of the way and put it away next to Zero's. She walked out of the door and-  
  
"KIZNA!"  
  
Her fist stopped less than an inch from Zero's nose. Innocent blue eyes stared back at her over her pain-intending appendage and she felt her resolve begin to melt. /Kizna, you idiot. you'd trip over your own ears if they were close enough to your feet!/ She began to withdraw her fist, then froze when she felt... something... on the fingers of her fist... that looked like.  
  
...Zero's lips.  
  
/Okay, he's not really... don't be serious, that can't be... what the--- arggggggggggh!/ Kizna abruptly pulled her hand away, face glowing red. She thrust her face within an inch of his nose again, but this time, they were at the relatively same eye level, considering Zero was a bit taller than she was. "Zero, IF YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY TO ME, JUST SAY IT! What the heck are you--"  
  
"I don't know," cut in His Royal Elaborateness. His cute smile spread into an even cuter grin. "What do you think I'm trying to do?" Give it a try...  
  
They stared at each other that way, nose to nose, for what seemed like an eternity to Kizna, until Zero's smile faded a little bit. "Kizna? What are you thinking? Um, do you just." He faltered into silence, then cleared his throat and tried again. "Do you just not--"  
  
"Zero, I just--"  
  
"ITAI! SAKI, IF YOU DON'T QUIT HITTING ME--"  
  
The two partners turned their heads to the adjoining hallway to see the ruckus. Sure enough, a flash of brown hair and an adamant voice signaled the coming of another set. They simultaneously turned to look back at each other. Immediately realizing her close proximity to her object of... attention, Kizna abruptly moved back. Zero reached out to grab her arm, but halted when she jerked out of his reach and planted a smile on her face for the newcomers.  
  
"Saki, are you being hard on him already?" /Please don't let them be able to tell, please don't let them!/  
  
The red-haired firecracker in question grinned disarmingly. "Hard? No. Clay can't take my 'being hard on him.' just my 'being stricter than before.' Even still that's a challenge."  
  
Her partner groaned heavily. "I take such abuse." He flushed when Saki jumped over and planted a kiss on his cheek, just as soon grabbing his hair was another hand and dragging him in the direction of the Pro-Ing training room. He barely managed to get out a word. "Are you guys coming?" He stared a bit harder. "Were you talking about something?"  
  
"NO--"  
  
"YES--"  
  
The both blinked in surprise but didn't dare to look at each other. Clay squinted filing the response away in his mental "Interesting" folder before allowing Saki to drag him off.  
  
Zero's eyes flicked over to Kizna hesitantly, but Kizna's eyes were fixed forward, a hint of pink on her cheeks. A look of concern crossed his face. /Maybe I shouldn't have. but I thought. ARRGGGGH! I don't get it!!/ He grabbed his hair in frustration and turned to slam his head into the wall. Kizna looked over in surprise, a look of shock on her face. After watching him bang his head into the wall a few times she. oh, she just couldn't help herself.  
  
She burst out laughing.  
  
"What's so funny?" Yamagi as well as the other typical three in tow appeared behind them, all looking relaxed and well fed. Kizna threw a hand over her mouth and shook her head.  
  
"I think," said Zero, halfhearted annoyance in his voice, "Kizna delights in my troubles."  
  
A warning sign flashed in the girl's thoughts but she brushed it away as well as she could, giving him her most disarming smile. "Oh Zero, that's not it. I think that you're a troublesome partner, BUT," she added quickly, noticing the automatic I-Am-Zero-Enna trademark glare, "I think his troubles will be over soon with my dashing help!" She laughed and automatically started for Zero's arm, then quickly thought better of it and tugged on his uniform instead to pull him ahead. "Time to meet the Reaper Instructor, Zero!"  
  
The other boy allowed her to tug him, in a very characteristic manner pushing away the uncomfortability of just a few moments before with a faint smile, but continued to look softly at the girl in front of him, of whom was obviously still a bit uncomfortable. /Kizna... what am I supposed to do? I don't know what you want. But./ He grinned and released himself from her grasp. In the blink of an eye he had slapped every Candidate and Repairer within reach on the back, and after tagging Kizna, with a mischevious look on his face, loudly whisphered, "Tag. you're all it!" In a moment he was cackling madly and dashing off into the distance.  
  
All of them looked at each other for a moment, then without warning, ran after him. "Zero Enna, you are SO DEAD!"  
  
Zero smiled to himself. /...but maybe, someday, you'll tell me what I need to do, Kizna.../  
  
  
  
Hiead narrowly avoided running into Zero when he barreled past and even barely managed to sidestep out of the other teens' ways. He growled to himself, thinking about how they would all make it before him. He hurried himself a bit and made it to the door of his Repairer's room. He raised his arm to knock. then stopped.  
  
/What am I going to say to her? 'Sorry I think you're a complete idiot and an incompetent Repairer?'/ He dropped his hand and turned in the other direction, arms crossed. /I don't need her to. yes I do. I need her to --- in order to become a Goddess Pilot./ He spun around to face the door, intending on knocking-  
  
And didn't do it. He slammed his fist into the door in frustration. "What am I DOING?!"  
  
/~Hahaha! What an idiot. You can't do it.~/  
  
Hiead's expression changed. "Oh yes I can." With that, instead of knocking, he grabbed the hand of the door and threw it in, letting it smash into the wall in the room. When he didn't see Ikhny on her bed he automatically [for he was not thinking clearly, no da!] went for the bathroom door. He was an idiot's millisecond from smashing open the door when he heard a loud sob from the other side, halting him immediately. His throat clenched and he tried to force himself to knock, but a heart-wrenching sob snapped him out of his concentration.  
  
"I can't. go on like this. He. he hates me." Only Ikhny's voice could manage to still be in a whisper and carry so well. "I might as well... I might as well not be here at all..."  
  
Hiead choked. /No kidding she-wait a second, she can't be talking about LEAVING, can she?/ Anger flashed in his eyes. /I can't go without a Repairer! That idiot Azuma would crucify me. Wait a minute -/  
  
*I can't go on like this.*  
  
His eyes widened as he stared at the door. /She wouldn't.../  
  
*I might as well not be here at all.*  
  
/She can't... she can't mean... killing herself?!/ "NO WAY!" He drew back his fist and smashed the door in. No sooner did the white finish hit the floor than Hiead was inside the bathroom, furious. "Ikhny, you can't kill yourse-GAHHHHHHHH!"  
  
True to the luck of a jerk under the powers of someone not to be mentioned [Gideon: Um, he he?], the garnet-eyed boy slipped on the slick surface of the floor and fell face first into the bathtub.  
  
The one with *Ikhny* in it.  
  
There was a scream and he scrambled to push himself up on his elbows, coming face to... *ahem*... stomach with his Repairer.  
  
Hiead Gner was often referred to as cold. Heartless. A *jerk*. And yet, as many of these things he was, he was still a fifteen year old boy. And this fifteen year old boy was in shock. So in this fifteen year old boy shock, the fifteen year old boy raised his eyes.  
  
Hiead caught himself when he realized what he was doing. He abruptly looked down and jumped out of the tub, landing in a very undignified heap on the wet floor. In a panic he pulled a crab and waddled backwards until he hit the wall beside the door, automatically looking back up. Thankfully, in the confusion, Ikhny had spun around in the bathtub and grabbed a towel, dropping it over herself and crouching as best she could to cover herself. "HIEAD??"  
  
He tried to get a smart mouth remark out, heck, even 1/4th of a smart remark, but all that came out was, "You're not dressed."  
  
Hiead Gner was SO not smooth.  
  
It was the tiny inner voice that kept yelling, "There's a BOY in my BATHROOM, but it's _Hiead Gner_" that kept Ikhny from screaming for him to get out the heck out and wail for bloody help. HIEAD GNER FOR GODDESSES SAKES! She regained her composure before her speechless partner and managed to pick her glasses off the floor to place them on her nose, which only accentuated the very dark red shade of colour her face had taken to. She cleared her throat experimentally and said quietly, "Um, Hiead, can I help you?"  
  
'Can I help you?' Hiead's face went through a transformation of colours, most of them variations of red, and the phrase kept running through his head as very, very wrong. As he was wont to, though, after one point five two seconds to the dot, he mostly got a hold of himself and displayed a injured glare. "We-we're, uh, g-going to be l-late! Ikhny I-uh I'm-- waiting for you o-outside." With that, he and his red face marched themselves out the door with as much dignity as they were allowed to bear.  
  
/~Idiot, Gner, you are SUCH AN IDIOT! Look at what you did!~/  
  
Hiead growled. /I thought that she was going to kill herself or something./  
  
He could see himself punching _himself_ in the face. /~KILLING HERSELF?!? You might as well stick your head under the foot of a Pro-Ing as stupid as you are!~/  
  
The aforementioned pilot's Repairer paused just outside of her bathroom door. Her face was still red, and she could even hear the growls coming from outside which made her turn even more red. Was he growling at himself? Or her? The second thought sobered her and she quickly went to change into her clothes. /Maybe he's mad because I was taking a bath when--/ Her face reddened and she didn't allow herself to finish. He had been looking at her after all.  
  
Hiead's foot tapped impatiently on the floor when that exact same thought went through his head and the thought about he close he had come to look up. He blushed but by sheer willpower he kept the blush down to a minimum and turned out barely pink. He forced himself to think of her FACE, okay, her face instead. her face without her glasses with her hair wet and hugging her face in thick, dark curls. he relaxed a bit. /Ikhny looks so much cuter without her glasses. I wonder why--/  
  
"Somebody's happy."  
  
The boy froze and flicked his eyes to the source of the voice. He glared automatically.  
  
Rill returned his glare evenly and said with a straight face, "A girl, right?"  
  
Blanch.  
  
"Aha."  
  
Blush.  
  
Ikhny stumbled out of the door at that moment and looked at Rill, who had the goofiest look on her face. She blinked. "Doctor Rill?"  
  
Rill looked at Ikhny and her mouth opened in an 'o' as realization spread across her brain. Before she could get a word out, Hiead grabbed Ikhny's arm and dragged her off.  
  
After about five minutes of this, Hiead abruptly stopped and let her go. When Ikhny went to rub her arm she found herself nose to nose with Hiead, which was difficult considering her was significantly taller than she was. His eyes was a hair away from being pissed and he squeezed her shoulders until she was on the brink of crying out. But instead of a reprimand, he said something that she didn't expect.  
  
"Don't you EVER kill yourself. You understand me?" He shook her and she nodded. He released her and stalked off.  
  
Ikhny stared. /What?/  
  
  
  
Azuma's frustration at having to wait on Hiead was taken out on his Candidates in a heated glare. Yamagi, Wrecka, Roose, Tsukasa, Zero, and Kizna had been told to stand at attention for nearly thirty minutes. The Instructor stared pointedly at the spot where he was supposed to be and growled. "If that Candidate isn't here in less than five seconds--"  
  
"Then what?"  
  
Everyone turned to look at Hiead and Ikhny as they entered the Pro Ing training deck. Hiead ignored everyone and stood in his spot, a composed Ikhny at his side. Neither budged when Azuma jumped into the boy's face. Said boy blinked. "Yes?"  
  
Azuma grinned. "You're late." He glanced between the Repairer and the Candidate, an eyebrow going up. Hiead winced to himself, remembering that he was probably still damp from his... *ahem*... but looked straight ahead. "Take a dip?"  
  
Practiced by now, Hiead's blush did not manifest itself on his face. Though Ikhny's did, Azuma's eyes were too trained on the other to notice. He gave up after a minute and stood. "Well, it's a good thing that you're in time to hear the news."  
  
His was Hiead's eyebrow this time that went up. Azuma abruptly burst into laughter. When he realized he had done it out loud, he turned and composed himself before speaking, a faint blush of embarrassment gracing his nose. "Excuse me. Anyway, it's about time that we tested your knowledge of your partner's abilities--"  
  
"ALL RIGHT!" exclaimed Yamagi, pumping his fist in the air, causing Tsukasa to blush. "Easy grade! Ya--"  
  
"-by switching partners." There. He did it. Azuma looked around to see the damage.  
  
The remainder of Yamagi's cheer died in his throat. He blinked, then looked around, dazed. "Hunh?"  
  
"I think he means, 'What are you talking about, Instructor?'" supplied Tsukasa in a somewhat diluted daze.  
  
Wrecka coughed. "I think I'm going to have to agree with Mr. Elaborate over there."  
  
"What I mean, is that you guys are switching partners." He made a dramatic pause and pulled out his clipboard with great gusto. "The pairings are Clay and Wrecka, Roose and Tsukasa, Yamagi and Saki, Zero and Ikhny, and finally, Hiead and Kizna."  
  
The look of total astonishment on every face nearly put the scheming Instructor into hysterics, but he maintained his 'almighty' look for the sake of the plan. "Hey, you Candidates, why do you look so surprised?"  
  
/No, NO, NO NO NO NO NO!/ Zero's mouth moved, but nothing he could do could force a word out.  
  
The remaining boys and girls, on the other hand, were ALL words.  
  
"Instructor, you can't POSSIBLY expect me to-  
  
"I can't believe you are sticking me with THAT--"  
  
"What the h--"  
  
"AZUMA you dirty--"  
  
"QUIET!" he erupted after twenty seconds of vibrant complaints from the two. They both bit their tongues to avoid pissing off the excited Instructor more than necessary. He gave them all a stern look. "This is training. You're going to be doing a lot of things you don't like so well, so suck it up and just do it."  
  
"What exactly are we doing, Instructor?" managed Kizna through her teeth. She blinked when Azuma gave her a striking grin.  
  
"How about you hear the purpose first? The purpose of these assignments is to first and foremost, further your sensitivity to your Pilot and your Repairer--"  
  
"But how can we do that if we're doing the report on someone else's Repairer?" asked Zero, also through his teeth. Kizna winced as she looked down and realized his hands were clenched tightly in fists.  
  
"If you let me FINISH, idiot, you'd find out!" He came within a hair of Zero's nose. "The absence of your REPAIRER, Enna, is supposed to make you SENSITIVE, Enna, to the differences between your given PARTNER, Enna, and your CANDIDATE. You will submit a report to me by the end of the month--" He turned to glare as everyone who had gasped "-YES, MONTH, listing every single DIFFERENCE, Enna, between your original REPAIRER, Enna, and your given PARTNER, Enna. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR??"  
  
Enna himself wiped his nose and nodded sharply. "Yes."  
  
Significant pause.  
  
"But I still don't get why we're doing this."  
  
Everyone sweatdropped.  
  
Kizna recovered enough from shock to agree with her partner. "Zero's right. I think it would be pretty obvious what the differences between our partners would be," the last comment aimed daggers in tow toward the object of her torture. The boy himself turned and gave her a heated smirk.  
  
"You're to list every nuance in personality, speed, brain power--" this one aimed toward Zero, with a laugh, "-- physical ability, and anything else I can think of between now and the end of this month," stated Azuma, eyes on the warring pair, barely avoiding a grin, "and you had better not skip a detail or each of you will be running deck to hull 24 hours a day, no exaggeration."  
  
There were various moans and groans, eventually muted out by several punctual glares from the Instructor himself. Everyone seemed to be content [and I use this term very very loosely] when suddenly--  
  
"WE HAVE TO SWITCH PARTNERS?!?!" exploded Zero suddenly, causing Azuma to bite his tongue. Barely missing a beat he grabbed Zero by the collar and lifted him until he was on his tip toes.  
  
"DID YOU LISTEN TO A WORD I SAID?!"  
  
"I KNEW we had to turn in a report, but I didn't know that we had to switch partners! I refuse!"  
  
A vein popped out in his forehead. "WHAT did you say?"  
  
"I SAID I REFUSE!" said Zero louder.  
  
"I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID!!"  
  
"Then why'd you ask me to repeat it?!" retorted the dark-haired boy. Azuma's face turned red and he threw Zero on the ground.  
  
"That's it! You start exercises right NOW!" He spun around, daring anyone to rebel. Needless to say, no one did. He pointed savagely in one direction. "EVERYONE TO THEIR PRO-INGS NOW!!!!!" The minute Azuma was out of sight Hiead rushed for Zero's throat in a rage.  
  
"I knew it! This is all your fault you IDIOT!" He violently began to shake the other boy.  
  
"Hiead, NO!" yelled Ikhny, but she could do nothing but stare at Zero struggle.  
  
"Let go of me!" Zero's fist connected soundly with the right side of Hiead's face. They both jumped into fighting stances, absolutely furious. "I don't know WHAT YOUR PROBLEM IS, but _I_ didn't cause it!"  
  
Kizna ran between the two and held Zero back, angry and pleading at the same time. "Don't do this Zero, please! You'll get kicked out!"  
  
His gaze swung to her. "What, do you WANT this to happen Kizna?! Hunh?"  
  
She stared at him and her anger returned. "I can't believe you'd say that! Of course not! Why WOULD I??"  
  
The rest of the students ran over and Hiead and Zero were forced farther apart. Saki took charge.  
  
"All right you two, cut it out! None of us were particularly prepared for this, but this is no way to react!"  
  
"All I know," growled Zero, "is you better keep your hands off _my_ Repairer. You hear me Hiead?!"  
  
Hiead snarled. "You'd better watch YOURSELF. If something happens to my Repairer, expulsion or not, your head is MINE." He shook off Yamagi and Wrecka and walked toward his Pro Ing. Zero shook off his own weighs and began to head off. He remembered himself and turned to Kizna.  
  
"Kizna, if he hurts you, you know that I'm coming after him, and please don't hate me if something happens to me, okay?"  
  
"Zero--" He stalked off before she could finish. She stared after him. "What has Azuma gotten us into?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Aight aight aight! That's it for this chapter, ya'll! Want to crush? Want to kiss? Want to destroy? Ahahahah! This is soooo much fun! O.o  
  
Next Chapter: The operation is underway! Will Azuma end up with more than he bargained for, or will they start to like their new partners *better* than their old ones? Don't ask me, I don't know yet! Let's just say that I'm bloody well glad that I'm not Azuma right now. ^_^ 


	5. Stage Four: NNNNotttt fffffaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

::cough:: Well, it's been a week or more maybe? Since I've been threatened internet style to get moving, I decided to put this chapter up. ::heaves a sigh:: I'm gonna get in so much trouble!  
  
Anyway, here comes the thanks! Thanks most humbly goes to Hpsactor, who as I might point out, is indeed partially responsible for me being motivated enough to put this out at this time ::coughthreatcough:: j/k, and has a hand in a part of the next one as well [Thaaaaank youuuuu Tory!! See you on the flip side!], KatJen [Please don't let your head explode.. I would feel obligated to clean it up and pay for your hospital bills!], P:P [Make everyone fall in love with one girl? Alternate pairings? Ha! Never! ::sneaks away, glancing behind herself in paranoid manner], Rikkali [::blush:: You do me too much credit! Thank you very much! ::offers pocky:: Seems like the right thing to do!], Fortran-Hacker [Absolutely no problem! It seems as though all of the hard-core flamers have come back from summer vacation, and somebody's got to be out there to help you against the more evil ones!], The Dixie Artist [::blushes again:: You guys are too much! ::bows low:: I exist for your entertainment! Wouldn't we just LOVE to see that happen to a REAL LIFE HIEAD?! ::collapses in laughter::], Lalita [Thank you! Oh, and your stories are awesome! I can't wait to see what happens in yours as well. ^_^], Xaphrin [::laughs just because Xaphrin is laughing, and just can't stop... tried to get up and just falls down again laughing at maniacal laughter:: ::cough:: Sorry! That sort of thing cracks me up. Anyway, here's the next chapter.. now.. LET'S SEE YOURS! XAPH, KEEP WRITING, KUDASAI! DON'T YOU DARE STOP! SO MANY ARE WITH YOU!].  
  
::pants, takes several breaths, and continues::  
  
More thanks to Steve Jester [Hai, Azuma is definitely one piece of work. ::rubs hands together:: Let's see him get it next chapter!], Isaacy [::humongous grin:: Finally, right? Anyway, I guess I am evil ::laughs:: At LAST! SOMEONE FOUND OUT MY SECRET!], saiya-jin royalty (Aren) [You and me both! Thank you very much! ::puffs out chest:: And may Vegeta-er, Goku-san- er, Goha-er, the most awesome Saiya-jins be with you! ::laughs at corny joke:: Get it? Saiya? Saiyain?? Say-say I shut up, right?], Jinnai [Oh, that it were reality! ::tears:: Thank you very much! I *will* read Concern of a Friend because I said I would, I PROMISE! I have been such a lazy bum! Kick me or something!], Jo [Unexpected twist! ::spins around unexpectedly, then laughs nervously, getting up:: Ah! I knew what you mean! I really did! Ahah! :;runs away::], sole [::puts pink to corner of mouth in Dr. Evil fashion:: Curious are we? Well I'll try my best to make it worth your while, no da!], Tezza [::bursts out laughing, as usual:: I think I'm used to the winged monkey soldiers, now. ::wipes away tear:: You've got Duo one more of a lockdown than Hilde! I commend you! Thank you! ^_^ And here's bringing many more moments!].  
  
::pants again, leaves to get water, and comes back::  
  
And also thanks to Hawaii_gurl [AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I'M CONTINUING! I'M CONTINUING! AHHHHHHHHHH!], Hells-Angel [!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!! ::grins and leans forward:: You really can't wait? I can! ::waits... and waits... grows bored and gets up:: Nevermind. ^_^], JC^ [::sticks out tongue and smiles:: Are you *really* JC, or are you Clay? Hunh hunh hunh!?!?!?], and last but not least, Hinel Patel [AHHHHHHH!!!! Thank you! I hurried, didn't I?!?!? AHHHH! Haha, just for you!]  
  
Whew! That took a while! Anyway, I all owe you, so it's worth it! Thank you, and please keep reviewing! My work depends on you. ^_^  
  
One last note. sometimes it seems as though when I upload stuff to fanfiction.net, the point where I try to put three periods indicating that a person has trailed off into thought turns out as one single dot instead. Just wanted to you know! On with the story!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
-------------------Towryk Eyes Pt. 5----------------------  
  
The silence was killing him.  
  
Azuma's teeth with so set that they were beginning to hurt. He'd do almost anything, ANYTHING to get someone to TALK. FIGHT. A note of encouragement maybe?  
  
Yet there was nothing. All of the Repairers stood stiffly in their new respective positions, not a one daring to even peek at the others.  
  
As Azuma had ordered, each Repairer was paired with the given pilot change: Wrecka to Clay's station, Tsukasa to Roose's station, Saki to Yamagi's station, Ikhny to Zero's station, and Kizna to Hiead's station. Anyone would guess that Kizna was the most pissed, but to be truthful, it was difficult to tell who exactly disliked their position worse.  
  
"All right, Candidates," began Azuma calmly. "Prepare to fight in five, four, three, two, on -- "  
  
"WAIT." It wasn't a request, but a statement. The Instructor flicked his eyes at Pro-Ing number 88 and set his jaw.  
  
"Candidate, I did not leave room for any - comments."  
  
"Instructor." Zero's tone of voice immediately caught Kizna's attention. She frowned. She had never heard him speak in such a low, dangerous tone. It was loaded with anger. ANGER. Out of all the times they had been together, the true 88 Repairer had never heard her partner's cords charged with anger rather than determination. This was most definitely not good. Anger meant that more than ever, his immediate target would be-  
  
"Hiead," whisphered Ikhny.  
  
"Shut up, Allecto," commanded Hiead, hearing the whisper. He was focused on the fight. He didn't need his own stupid Repairer distracting him when she wasn't even his current Repairer - the thought made him growl in his throat. It was all *his* fault. *ZERO'S*. He would never have to fight with a different Repairer if it hadn't been for HIM.  
  
"I wasn't finished yet!" snapped Zero, making everyone jump. "Instructor, I want you to put us on Code Five."  
  
Azuma's mouth dropped. Code Five was a no holds barred Pro Ing fight. That meant that the fight would go on until there was only one Candidate remaining conscious. A very, VERY bad idea.  
  
"NO."  
  
"Instructor," warned Zero.  
  
"Zero--" Kizna snapped her mouth shut. She had forgotten already that Zero wasn't her Candidate this time. HIEAD was. She gritted her teeth and turned her attention back to Hiead's stats. A small part of her twitched when she realized that his coordination, tunes, and adaptability were nearly the same as Zero's. In fact, it would be safe to say - safe to say that Hiead and Zero were the exact same. A quick glance at the brain patterns, though, brought Kizna back to herself. Zero's and Hiead's brain patterns were most definitely opposite, but... there was no telling how angry Zero was beneath his mask. In a given situation, if Zero was angry.... his and Hiead's brain patterns could nearly be identical.. and she knew from experience that when Zero was angry, he didn't make very many good decisions.  
  
Ever.  
  
Azuma was painfully aware of that fact as well. He'd been with Zero long enough to know that an idiot on the warpath didn't make him any less of an idiot. If he refused to allow Code Five, Hiead and Zero would probably beat the ST out of each other anyway. He sighed heavily. /Why didn't I just blow up and ask for a recess instead of an isolated war? They're all going to kill each other./  
  
"Instructor?" came Ikhny's calm voice. She managed to keep her eyes fixed on his annoyed look. "Why don't we just request an out of bounds fight? That way no one really gets hurt."  
  
"That's not enough," snapped Hiead. "Requesting a--"  
  
"Shup up, Hiead!" cut in Kizna. She glared at him through the small window. "This isn't the time or place to hold a fight."  
  
The silver-haired boy jerked. He'd never had a Repairer, nevertheless his enemy's Repairer in control of his fate and fully prepared to make it a difficult one. He narrowed his eyes at her. "You think I can't beat your ridiculous ex-Candidate?"  
  
"What do you mean 'EX?'" yelled Zero. "I told you, that is MY Repairer! That happens to mean NOT YOURS, IDIOT!"  
  
Roose blinked and directed his words to Yamagi. "Were they married or something?" He cocked his head when the other pilot couldn't get any words through his hysterical laughter. "Yamagi?"  
  
"That's a very INTERESTING proposition," inserted Clay. A thoughtful look crossed his face as a million different strategies and plot patterns ran through his brain. "A love triangle? No, no, no... not Hiead certainly..."  
  
"I don't WANT your Repairer, moron!"  
  
"Then stop acting like it!"  
  
"Yamagi, you're still laughing?"  
  
"Muh - muh -- muh - muhmuhmuhmarriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"  
  
"Zero and Kizna perhaps.. very interesting indeed! Was this whole excerised merely for the flushing out of pairs?" Blush. "Wow. I wonder which pairs..."  
  
"HIEAD, IKHNY WAS PROPOSING AN OUT OF BOUNDS FIGHT," exploded the cat-eared girl finally. "THAT *MEANS*, IDIOTS, THAT YOU CAN KNOCK THE BLOODY HECK OUT OF EACH OTHER UNTIL ONE OR THE OTHER GETS KNOCKED OUT OF BOUNDS!!!"  
  
"But I-HUNH?!" Zero stopped in the middle and gaped. Everyone just kind of stared at him through their vid-links.  
  
"Zero, are you okay?" said Kizna and Ikhny simultaneously. Kizna blushed and waved nervously to Ikhny. "Sorry! Almost forgot!" /This is gonna be hard.../  
  
Zero was silent a few seconds before answering. "We aren't married."  
  
A sweatdrop cloud swept through the Pro-Ing room. Hiead groaned.  
  
"Zero, you are such a MORON!!"  
  
"Why?! I was just telling the truth!!" retorted Zero plainly.  
  
Yamagi wiped a few tears from his eyes. "You are so five minutes ago, Zero. You have any idea how long ago Roose said that?"  
  
"Well whoever said it is sure gonna get it!" responded Candidate 88 annoyedly. He stepped menacingly toward the three companion pilots, all of whom were backing away and spluttering numerous apologies.  
  
/Annoyed... he's just annoyed!/ Kizna's smile broke through. /Not ANGRY anymore.. we really might get through this okay.../  
  
Zero glared at the three. "Who said that--"  
  
*THONK*  
  
Pro-Ing 88 fell flat on it's face. To the sound of maniacal laughter, the shocked boy sprung back on his feet. "HIEAD?!"  
  
The silver-haired boy stopped laughing. "You had your back turned against your Number One enemy. You're stupider than you look."  
  
"Instructor," said Tsukasa quickly. She ignored his annoyed look. "Wouldn't it be a good idea to start the fight?"  
  
"It would be a good idea to start the fight," rushed Azuma belatedly. "Ready Candidates?" One 'yes,' two begging eyes and two angry glares signalled to Azuma that he shouldn't have asked. "Okay. Ready.... fight!!!"  
  
Zero and Hiead all but ignored everyone they assumed weaker by flinging themselves at each other with whole-hearted zeal. Kizna and Ikhny quickly found themselves chest deep [I have no idea why I picked that analogy, no da!] in a mental assault of thousands of new bits and pieces of information. The differences and similarities between them were staggering. Kizna found herself witnessing attacks that exactly resembled Zero's, but in response to different attacks. Ikhny saw the same. All the same attacks to different stimuli.  
  
The Instructor was suddenly struck with the weight of all that he had don- haha, silly me! CORRECTION: With one tenth of what he had done, considering that he had convinced himself that within a breadth of death he was going to stick to his plan. He looked at Pro-Ings 88 and 89, then at Ikhny and Kizna. He blinked. /I put the top competing Candidates with the top Repairer of the other./ Blink. /Whoa./  
  
The other candidates and repairers found themselves simply gaping. Somehow.. somehow the four had completely forgotten their situation and imbedded themselves in the fight. Was it just their eyes or.. had Hiead and Zero.. gotten faster??  
  
"Unbelievable," said Saki, mostly to herself. She had merely glanced at Yamagi's stats before focusing back on the fight. They were DEFINITELY more important at the moment.  
  
Wrecka, on the other hand, was looking with apparent interest [pardon the phrase] at Clay's stats. /So this is what Saki had to deal with.../ With a huge grin she pushed one button.  
  
"-if the Instructor is, indeed, seeking to end this experiment in pairs, then-AHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
Saki's attention automatically snapped to Clay. "What the heck is wrong with you?"  
  
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I--"  
  
"OUT WITH IT, FORTRAN!!!!"  
  
"I-I s-seem to h-have di-di-dif-fficul-l-lty-y-y m-m-mov-v-vi-i-i-ing-g-g-g- g," grated Clay. His true Repairer had difficulty deciding whether she should turn to Wrecka and scold her or laugh. She chose to do both.  
  
"Wrecka! What a time to use the immobilization ability!" Giggle. Snicker.  
  
Ikhny was on the verge of being overwhelmed. Zero's speed was growing exponentially within seconds, and his total stamina with it. She could nearly hear the wear and tear of the Pro-Ing suits. If things kept up this way the suits would be ripped apart, and who knows what would happen to the Pilots themselves.. she was drawn from her thoughts by a sudden jump in the system. She glanced at the window to the left. Zero's brainwaves were fluctuating wildly. Her eyes widened. /No... wait a minute... The last time that happened... With HIEAD../  
  
Hiead had a similar jump in brain waves. There was no questioning it. Kizna knew that it would happen within minutes. She frantically tried to control it on her end. "Hiead! Don't you DARE! This is NOT THE TIME!! CONTROL IT, YOU IDIOT!!"  
  
"SHUT UP!!" yelled Hiead, neutralizing a blow by his opponent. He could feel his control slipping. /NO! You are in CONTROL!!!/  
  
/~As if, idiot.~/  
  
"Instructor!" said Kizna. "CALL IT OFF!"  
  
"CANDIDATES, THE FIGHT IS CANCELLED!!" yelled Instructor. He watched helplessly as the control boards of Ikhny and Kizna went red. At that moment, Rill walked in with a peeved look on her face.  
  
"Hijikata, GIS has docked with--" She stopped short and glared at the various looks of horror and laughter on the Repariers' faces. She glared at Azuma. "I thought you said this wasn't until later! What are you--"  
  
Clay fought as hard as he could to move. "N-N-N-Not-t-t-t f-f-f-f- faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaair-r-r!!" Wrecka shook her head and put her finger over the button she pushed the first time.  
  
"Okay Clay, remobilizing!" She pressed it.  
  
"Whoa!" Clay Cliff Fortran struggled to regain his balance as one of his previous attempts to struggle carried over and he began to fall toward Roose, who was, incidentally, still in the pathway of Zero and Hiead, who had incidentally stumbled close to the darkness of the sheer out of bounds drop.  
  
Can anybody see where this is going?  
  
Yamagi certainly could, and he was not very happy. "Yo, Clay! Roose! Look out!"  
  
"Oh no!" cried Ikhny. "EX reaction--"  
  
"EX reaction in five--" said Kizna.  
  
Saki blinked. "Clay! Look out for Roose!"  
  
"Four--"  
  
"Roose, look out for Clay!"  
  
"Three--"  
  
Clay bit his tongue as he slammed face first into Roose.  
  
"Two--"  
  
Roose inevitably tipped forward and slammed into Zero and Hiead.  
  
"One--"  
  
"AHHH! What the--"  
  
Zero and Hiead ran into each other, the force carrying them over the edge of the out of bounds zone.  
  
"REACTION!!!!"  
  
The combined yells of Zero and Hiead were drowned out as their EX reactions produced a blinding white light that enveloped all of the Pro Ings and the whole of the deck. The Pro Ings were knocked over by the force of the blow, and the Repairers were knocked to the ground. Rill and Azuma were knocked off the steps and rammed into each other, landing into the deck as everything went black.  
  
  
  
Well. I've been told that I'm evil. ::shakes desperately:: Am I?? Am I?? Bwahaha! You shall not TRULY know until the next chapter! Which, if I am galled enough, will be put up tomorrow night/the following afternoon! Bwahaha! Life is, indeed, good.  
  
Next Chapter: I meant it when I said I'm glad I'm not Azuma. Here you really get to find out why. After the combined reactions of Zero and Hiead, things are a little bit different. What the heck is going on here?! I didn't know that an EX could make.. could make THAT happen! Azuma, but some clothes on! Why don't you clothes fit you any--- oh...... OHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	6. Stage Five: And I don’t mean a male’s ch...

I am so evil. I am so. evil. to Azuma. poor, poor, poor Azuma.  
  
::shrug:: Oh well.  
  
Okay, I've finally posted the next chapter. ::laughs nervously:: Sorry about that last one. it was way too short and. way too. I don't know! It could have been better! There, that's what I was trying to say! So I worked hard on this one for YOU. Yes, YOU!  
  
Haha! I apologize for any initial boringness and oddity, because. well. things are about to get just a little bit weird.  
  
Okay.. actually *really* weird. I don't know what I was on when I wrote this chapter. So, um, bear with it if you can. ^_^  
  
::deep breath:: I can't start the chapter without thanking everyone, though. Lesse.. current thanks go again to HC (Hpcsactor/EkiraTamer dude), cuz I came up with these next two chapters out of an idea he gave me... And GO REVIEW HIS STORY (Candidate of Veelas) BECAUSE HE WON'T UPDATE SO I CAN SEE IT UNTIL SOMEBODY ELSE REVIEWS IT, DARNIT! ::puff:: Okay, moving on.. thanks to Mihoshi [THAAAAAAAAAANK YOOOOOOOOOOOU! Haha. Now that we are all genderified ::bursts out laughing:: Anyway, GO READ HERS TOO!], Lalita [O_O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wrote as fast as I could. Awww ::blushes:: Ya shouldn't've said that. I know you're just saying that because I suck, but STILL ::face turns beet red and she passes out.. the shoots back up when she remembers something:: Oh, RIGHT! That would be weird.. but you guys are trying to have me crucified with this H/K talk! ::sly look:: Let's see what happens.. who loves H/K more? Or is it Z/K more? ::puts pinky to mouth in Dr. Evil fashion:: NEEWAY, go read HERS TOO!], Tezza [As always! ::interested look:: You got me interested in Quatre singing a song of that sort ::leans forward, with grin:: And your honest way of making money! ::begins to cry:: S.G.H.R.A?! ::sobs:: Thank you sooooooooooo much! ::proudly places it beside the flamerthrower she confiscated from Heero after he burned down her basement the first time.. scratched in logos such as 'Gundeynyum Roolz,' sticker for 'First PRIZE for Most Psychotic Japanese Anime Character 2000 (and 01 and 02.. long STORY. Go READ IT! Que SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES!):: ::tear:: Thank you! ::hugs:: GO JAMIE!], Neko-gurl [::at top of cliff:: ^_^ Cliffhanger gone! ::falls off the cliff:: Awww, darnit! ::cracks and itai's all the way down:: Darn cliff. I'll work on that, ne? ::wink:: PS: GO READ 'AS TIME GOES BY!' ::tear:: Hiead you jerk lover boy!], Isaacy [As usual! Neeway, I thought that too.. but I'm going to explain why it worked ::dun. Dun. DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNH!:: Next chapter. ::cackles:: It takes one to know one! ::makes evil movie noises:: PS: YOU CALLED ME EVIL, SO NO MORE COMMENTS], Xaphrin [And you! ::does karate front stance.. then gives sly look:: I can take a Samurai.. or Battousai.. like Kenshin ::drools:: Oh baby! ::snaps out of it, nervous laughter:: Um... he he? PS: GET WRITING], mary-chan [::more blushing:: Thank you. You wouldn't happen to be a-er-well-Hiead and Kizna fan, wouldja? You just seem like you would HATE that. ::laughs:: Just kidding. Though I would agree with the Zero thing ::coughs:: Oh well, right? As for your proposition... ::laughs nervously:: Depends on how many axes get thrown at my head, ne? ::grins::], As for TheKawaiiArtist and KawaiiDragon2 [I wasn't sure whether or not this was the same person or two very similar, oddly synchronized people, so I'm just doing yours together.. ::clears throat:: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Owari ::grin:: You'll see, ne. ::scratches chin:: Might end up as a separate fic? ::shrug::], Ichan [::panics:: Please don't cry, please don't cry, PLEAAAASE?! I am the absolute worst cry-person-er-taker carer of-er-person crying.. er. ::offers chocolate:: Better? PLEASE?!], sole [.. ^_^], JiYoung [Here's going to soon! ::pops bottle of fresh chocolate milk::], and IkhnyGnr [YOU GET WRITING TOO! ^_^ NOW!]  
  
::pants:: I know a lot of that was jarbled, but I hope all of my thanks to those who did review and still those who did not came through! Thank you! ::points:: Now on with the anarchy!  
  
PS: I just wanted to get this chapter OUT. So if it comes out weird.. well.. that's to be expected, but if it's short [too short] I'm sorry! Tell me and I'll add to it, then re-upload it and add another chapter, okay? Enjoy! GOOOOOOOOOo OOC and craziness!  
  
  
  
----------------------------Towryk Eyes Pt. 6------------------------------  
  
  
  
  
  
Zero woke to the all too farmilar sensation of spinning. in zero gravity.  
  
/~Oh Goddess Oh Goddess Oh Goddess Oh Goddess--!~/  
  
Zero blinked and looked around. /Hey! Who SAID THAT?!?/  
  
/~Good morning STUPID. This is your stomach SPEAKING. And this is what I have to say: OH. MY. GOOD. GODDESS./  
  
/What the heck is your problem?!/  
  
The boy shuddered as his stomach seemed to laugh at him. /~Well, it's about to become YOUR problem if you don't get your carcass in gear. There are a few things in here that I don't think you want coming out.~/  
  
/Uh oh./  
  
/~Uh oh is right, bone bag./  
  
Zero squinted his eyes and tried to shut out everything. /Come on. come on! Remember what happened!! Remember--/  
  
*Zero, quit being an idiot!*  
  
He opened his eyes. "WHAT? Kizna?"  
  
*We're going to get you over this zero gravity sickness, okay? You've got to become a Goddess Pilot! Just remember--*  
  
At the memory of her voice, Zero's muscles slackened. He slowly let his body go, simply floating in space instead of scrambling to take control. /Come on, body! Let go! Just like Kizna told you./ He immediately felt a very warm sensation. It spread from his fingertips throughout the rest of his body, making him feel. making him feel like he was being held in someone's arms, like he was protected instead of enclosed in cold darkness, like he also was when he lost control. the warmth made him want to cry out. A smile graced his lips. /So this is what it feels like to not be afraid. This is what Kizna was talking about. Kizna./ A few seconds, and he opened his eyes. The world wasn't spinning anymore.  
  
"-ber 88 and 89, can you--"  
  
"Hunh? Wait a second, is that - HEY! HEY, IT'S ME! I'm okay! Where are you guys?!"  
  
"You fell over the edge, Zero! Just lock your sensors on the control panel and you ought to be automatically oriented up!" With a decisive nod, Zero let go of a little of the warmth and flexed his fingers. He was automatically drawn upward, toward a light that appeared just beyond his vision. After an interminable amount of time, he felt his Pro Ing pass the edge and land back on the battlefield. He heard a beep sound behind him and turned to see Hiead land just a few seconds later.  
  
The appearance of the two top fighters appeared to push away the last remaining traces of the white cloud, and the other fighters were revealed, slowly gaining their own bearings and rising.  
  
"Whoa, what a rush!" Yamagi groaned and reached behind his back to rub his shoulder. He winced as he felt a cut there. "So much for coming out unscathed. Hey, is everybody okay?"  
  
Various grunts signified that a few were. A loud scream signified that one certainly was not.  
  
Hiead immediately identified the scream as Ikhny's and growled automatically. "Allecto, stop screaming!"  
  
"Don't be a jerk, Hiead," responded Zero.  
  
Hiead jerked. "You can't tell me how to--."  
  
"IS she your Repairer right now? NO. So SHUT UP!" A note of concern entered his voice. "Ikhny? Are you all right?" Silence, and his concern grew. "Hey, can anybody hear me? Hold on!" Zero spun his Pro Ing around and dashed for the docking bay. The others quickly followed him. He all but tripped all the way to the control room and screeched to a halt. Blink.  
  
"Um, Instructor?"  
  
  
  
"Ughh.. hangover.. feeling.. "  
  
Azuma Hijikata was not very happy with how he was feeling. Besides the fact that he had this horrible hangover sensation, he felt as if his chest weighed a hundred pounds. Every time he tried to sit up, he just ended flopping back down. He groaned heavily, rubbing his forehead. After several seconds of coaxing, he cracked open one eye.  
  
Rill was not very happy with how she was feeling. Besides the fact that she had this horrible hangover sensation, she felt as if - I don't really know how to explain it. Every time she tried to sit up, she just ended up flopping back down. After the third flop, she realized that it was not floor that she was flopping onto. After several seconds of reasoning, she cracked open one eye.  
  
Azuma and Rill stared blankly at each other for probably a full ten seconds before realization of their position dawned on them. They were laying spread out on the floor, and-  
  
She choked. /No, don't tell me we--/ She spotted the control panel and the rest of the Repairers. She heaved an enormous sigh of relief. /Thank the Goddesses! I don't know how I would have explained that one./  
  
An odd look spread across Azuma's face. "As much as I know you want my body, Rill." He leaned forward until he was face to face with her, and his voice rose: ".would you please, GET THE HECK OFF OF ME!!"  
  
"WELL EXCUSE ME, MR. PERFECT!" yelled Rill point blank, and all but threw herself off of him. Unfortunately, an extraordinary lightness had attached itself to her and she immediately lost her balance, falling backward on the steps. Azuma rose and dusted himself off, still feeling heavy. He re- adjusted his glasses on his nose and was belatedly struck with the remembrance of what had happened. He spun around to the control panel, almost losing his balance a second time, and stared at the battlefield. He couldn't see anything yet, for the whiteness was just fading. He glared at the Repairers. "WELL?? WHAT HAPPENED?"  
  
Ikhny slowly turned, and screamed.  
  
This seemed to knock everyone out of their dazes and everyone turned to look at Ikhny, then what Ikhny was staring at. They just. stared.  
  
Azuma was annoyed. "What the heck are you screaming about??" He spun around to look at what she was talking about, but only saw an equally annoyed Rill. He gaze was readjusted as Zero and the rest of the Candidates burst through the door and. stared. "WHAT? WHAT?? Are you all fish or something?"  
  
"Azuma."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"Azuma you-you-you look--" began Rill, but she just couldn't finish. She burst out laughing.  
  
The sound was disturbing. That's all I've got to say.  
  
All the other Candidates were just-oh Goddess. They couldn't believe it.  
  
Azuma ran to the closest screen, trying to see the ghost of his image. He seemed fine until he looked down. craned his neck down to look at his own chest, and just about lost all his body fluids.  
  
Azuma Hijitaka had a *chest.*  
  
I don't mean a male's chest either, if that is any indication to you.  
  
Maybe you know why, now, none of the other Candidates had a very good grasp on how to react.  
  
Azuma, on the other hand. hey, have you guys ever seen anime where a character is so totally wigged out that their eyes are like this O_o and there's that blank, 'nobody's home, leave a message look' thing in their eyes? Yeah. He was doing that. Another scream drew him out of it though. It was Rill's. Before he knew it, said blond onna had grabbed a hold of his collar and was snarling in his face.  
  
"AZUMA HIJIKATA, GIVE ME BACK MY RACK!!"  
  
Que 'nobody's home' look. "What?"  
  
She threw him back and ripped open her doctor's drape, revealing a very, very, very, very, veryveryveryveryveryveryVERY flat chest. Her face was about to pop off her head. "I said GIVE ME BACK MY RACK!!!"  
  
This phrase, in fact, was soooo funny, that Yamagi then snapped out of his horror and began to laugh. Rill was the closest one to him, so she did the honors.  
  
Flat on his face faster than he could say, "," he was quickly assaulted by the jarred woman. "Do you have ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO GET THAT RACK?!? HUNH?!?! WHY THE FRIGGIN HECK ELSE DO YOU THINK THEY REFER TO ME AS THE 'WHITE MADONNA' AS REVERINGLY AS THEY DO?!?! Of course YOU wouldn't know because you're just a KID and furthermore, you're JUST A FRIGGIN CANDIDATE!"  
  
Yamagi, on the other hand, was close to tears. "Dr. Rill, I'm soOoOoOoORRRRYYYY!"  
  
"Dr. Rill."  
  
"What?!" snapped she, spinning around and coming nose to nose with an oddly calm-looking Tsukasa.  
  
*Get off of him, Tramp.*  
  
Everybody's eyes widened. Rill blinked. "What did you just say?"  
  
Tsukasa blushed the tiniest bit. "I said Dr. Rill--"  
  
"-No," cut in Rill, still disbelievingly. "You.. you called me.. a tramp."  
  
"N-no, I didn't!"  
  
Rill's fingers let loose of Yamagi and he heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh thank the Goddesses. I can breathe."  
  
"I HEARD you call me a TRAMP," gritted Rill. "You CALLED me a TRAMP!"  
  
*How could she hear what I said?*  
  
"See!" she cried triumphantly. "You admit it!"  
  
Yamagi's eyebrow went up. "Your voice sounds really funny, Tsukasa.." He squinted and inched closer. "Is something wrong?"  
  
She blushed again. "N-no!" *He's actually asking how I'm feeling! Oh no! Don't blush, don't blush!*  
  
The purple haired candidate froze, slow realization spreading across his face. "Does it seem to anybody else.. uh.. that her voice.. is in your head?"  
  
*They can hear my thoughts?!*  
  
"WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA."  
  
And that was the initial extent of Yamagi Kushida's commentary, accentuated by a certain unreadable look.  
  
He he.  
  
"Why can you guys only hear MY thoughts?" asked Tsukasa after a significant pause. Everyone looked around until they heard two loud moans. Zero's head whipped to the right. His partner-  
  
"KIZNA! Are you all right?" He unconsciously avoided touching Azuma in passing (who had, by the way, lapsed into a sort of disbelieving stupor that blocked out all of the surroundings goings on-in other words, he was so shocked by his new rack that he just wasn't paying attention to anyone else) and skidded to a stop before the fallen Repairer. His brain froze. /Kizna....../ He lowered himself on one knee and began to shake. /I hope that nothing../ "Kizna. Kizna! Wake up!"  
  
He was about to throttle her when she moaned and opened her eyes. "Hunh?" She blinked several times and Zero's worried face came into focus. "Zero?"  
  
Zero helped drag her to a sitting position and watched her. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I think--" She squinted for a moment in concentration. "-the EX reaction.. what happened?! Is everyone all right?"  
  
"Well," ventured Clay slowly, "Tsukasa, it seems, has an inner voice that everyone can hear.."  
  
*Uh oh.*  
  
"Uh oh is right," hissed Rill. The two stared at each other a moment before abruptly looking off in other directions.  
  
Sweatdrop. "Yeah, and, um.." He threw a cautious glance at the doctor and decided against being direct. ".. well.." /Better to involve the not so conscious one than the mad one. One point brain boy./ ".. Azuma is now in possession of.." He trailed off and motioned to Azuma.  
  
She involuntarily jerked when she saw exactly what he was in possession of, and felt an overwhelming sense of pity for him. "Poor GUY.." But the thought of the reason WHY there had been such an intense EX reaction struck her and her sympathetic look switched into a glare. "Serves him right!" Pause. "I think."  
  
"So far, those seem to be the only ca... su.. al.. uh, Hiead, are you okay?"  
  
Hiead didn't answer, but instead, stared off into a dark corner of the room. Zero rose to tap him on the shoulder when Kizna yelped and punched him in the leg. He spun around. "HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"  
  
"YOU STEPPED ON MY TAIL YOU JERK!!" yelled Kizna. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WERE SO STUPID AS TO STEP ON MY-UH OH."  
  
Everyone except Hiead slowly turned, fearing what they might see. Kizna stood up and turned around, tapping at the new addition to-erm-her backend.  
  
A tail.  
  
Half of them sighed in relief, for they had expected something more creepy like-well-take a look at Azuma. Need I say more? The other half, Zero, Clay, and Yamagi included, just.. stared.  
  
Her tail was absolutely fascinating.  
  
The waving appendage was very sleek, cat-like, with a beigish color, very similar to her skin. It was almost like a different person because it moved so _differently_ from the rest of Kizna's body. The three boys unconsciously leaned forward. The tail twitched, then smacked them all across the face in a very attitudinal manner.  
  
Zero winced but recovered quickly in a very Zero-like manner. As if he didn't already have a difficult time noticing her as Hiead's-- _temporary_ 'partner,' now that absolutely. ABSOLUTELY fascinating tail had to get in the way. Just a flick of the tip and his attention would snap back to her.  
  
This was going to make things very difficult.  
  
He cocked his head a little and reached for it, but it was Kizna's hand this time that smacked him. He gave her a pitiful look. Very difficult indeed.  
  
"Amazing," murmured Clay, careful not to touch the tail. Another million things ran through his head as he spoke. "An EX reaction causing this many things at once! Very.. interesting.." He spiraled into his own thoughts and Zero absently pushed him to the left in order to better see Kizna's tail. Reaching for it again clearly indicated that he was not deterred by the implications of the first smack.  
  
Yamagi reached for Kizna's tail as well, but in a significantly less obsessive manner.  
  
*Yamagi, I can't believe you!* thought Tsukasa furiously. The silently addressed boy waved his hand dismissively.  
  
"Aww, cut it out, Tsukasa! I was just looking. It's not every day that you see a tail you--" He stopped in the middle and turned to look at her very calm expression, very in contrast with the attitude of the voice . "Didn't you just-aww, this is SO confusing! How the-!" He was caught off guard as Hiead's right hand flicked out and his steel grip grabbed him by the collar, dragging him two feet to look in the other direction. "WHAT THE--"  
  
"Shut up." Said boy shut up. Hiead's face was a little bit paler than normal, but it seemed to return to natural color as he spoke. "Tell me you see Ikhny right over THERE."  
  
Yamagi groaned and looked in the direction Hiead indicated. He squinted a little bit. "Yeah. So what?" Silence. He inched closer. "What??"  
  
The steel grip spun him around and faced him in the opposite direction. Yamagi nodded. "Aa. Ikhny's there too. Really Hiead, I don't see what you-- "  
  
Blink. Blink.  
  
"HOLY--!!!"  
  
"Glad to see you own somewhat of an I.Q., Sherlock," snapped Hiead. He spun him around and nearly lifted the shorter boy off the floor. "How the HECK did Allecto end up as two people?!"  
  
"I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW! I'M NOT A GENE-WHATSAMACALLIT!!" Hiead released Yamagi in disgust and spun on his heel toward the Ikhny that was standing frightened to one side [hai, the one that screamed if you're paying attention, no da]. She let out a frightened yelp before he even got there, and she was shaking uncontrollably by the time he reached her. He reached out to grab her shoulder, but when she began to sob hysterically he took a step back.  
  
/Allecto is a weakling, but not a-not a-not THIS! I haven't even yelled at her yet!/ His confusion only made him angrier, which in turn made the Ikhny at his feet sob more hysterically. He felt the urge to strangle her pathetic cries, but stopped when he remembered the other body in the corner. He stalked away from one and immediately grabbed the shoulder of the other, roughly shaking her. "Wake up, you idiot!"  
  
Needless to say, he was shocked when the arm he was shaking sprung to life and the hand grabbed his wrist. The eyes of the Ikhny before him shot open and dark, angry eyes met the glare of the magenta ones. Her mouth twisted up into a distorted smirk. "Shove it, freak boy." And for the second time three days, Hiead received a very solid punch to the face.  
  
O_o_O_o Tell me what you think minna!  
  
Next Chapter: ::wince:: Evil, evil... ::cough:: Erm, the rest of the EX causing oddities are revealed. Let's just hope another Azuma incident does not occur. Maybe it SHOULD since that STUPID INSTRUCTOR decided to CONTINUE with his STUPID PLAN! ::sigh:: All right. Neeway, our boy Clay tells us his interesting thoughts, and.. oh, dude, if you have any questions as for why something happened [ex/Issacy mentioned how he thought the Repairer/Candidate thing wouldn't click, and Clay is going to explain that] Until then, party fans.. goodnight! 


	7. Stage Six: Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupi...

OKaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. can we all say that last chapter was a joke? ::laughter:: Yes, no kidding, right? I still don't know what I was on. I looked over it a few days ago [not having touched it for darn near a month] and was slack-jawed myself [slack-jawed has become a permanent fixture of my vocab]. Haha! WELL ANYWAY. I'm not usually the type of person who is constructive enough to go back and edit chapters. maybe I'll edit that one in a week [aka twenty years], but for now it's here to stay. I have a pretty good idea of how to make it not so. uh.. whoa, but I don't have time at the moment.. sorta ^_^; So here we go, another chapter, to help us get on track to where things make just SLIGHTLY more sense.  
  
Now... thanks, as always to: Aynslesa [::blinks as well:: Trust me... I wasn't expecting that either =P], saiya-jin royalty [Hey, at least you were honest. ::grin:: Yes, you interesting fiend person you...], Soleia Nova [yesyesyesyes. Haihaihaihaihai. ::breathes:: Whew. Oh, and your "Go Ikhny Go Ikhny" was more ironic than I thought O_O], Blank [... sure, why not =P], Xaphrin [::big hug and high fives:: I owe you a bunch. Where's your next, ne? NENENENENENE?? Oh yeah, and go read hers =P], Hinel [I hope that after all this time they are not still trying. O_O You would be a truly strong person. And not, I am not trying to kill you... just make you laugh so I can watch the mouth-taping thing. That would be an excellent way to pass the time .], The Sports Geek [::hysterical laughter... slowly stops and face has a rare thoughtful look:: You know... I've never seen that line before... ... ... ... Ahhhhhh well!], Tezza [As always! ::stares... then bursts into hysterical laughter:: I forgot how much I missed getting shocked by those monkey soldiers. Good luck with your campaign, and... I know... all of those characters... YEAH! GO OTAKU!], KawaiiDragon2 [O_O Yes, very alike. I will gladly continue. Just don't become the same person and show up at my door. That tends to scare me =P], Lalita [::trying to decide whether or not to hand Lalita water, because she doesn't want Lalita to die from laughter but also doesn't want Lalita to choke on the water... decides to give water:: Hai, boss-lady.].  
  
::pant:: mary-chan [O_O... er... thank you for clearing that up... O_O I think... ::shudder:: And I would have a nightmare if I saw Azuma with a rack. ::thinks:: Okay, scratch that. I would have a nightmare plus two heartattacks. Ah, and INUYASHA IS COOL! ::pants... grin::], Mihoshi [::jumps up and down to mantra, then realizes she's the only one jumping up and down:: Um, he he? ::hysterical laughter:: Your energy is contagious. Double arigatou gozaimasu. Yes, and where's your next chapter, ne? I still think number four... ::sly look::], Shadow [I thoroughly enjoy your ability to list adjectives ::cries:: Can I borrow it? ::grin and bow:: Yesseree. Now I have two bosses. ::counts... loses track:: Yeah. I will!], Ichan [OooOOoooh, good question. ::scratches small brain:: Trying to decide whether I want to add another complication... ::mischevious grin:: Well, what else are ficcy writers for, right? Haha. And here's more chocolate.], sany-chan [I get these wacky ideas from... ::opens hand and small koala appears:: These little buggers. ::hands sany-chan koala:: Take one. Then you, too, will be a randomness author. Cheers. ::grin:: PS: I wanna know what happens to them too. ::nervous laugh:: Yeah...], DJ Independence [A lot of people have been calling me that lately. ::laugh:: A paradoxiblahsumethindoodiday O_O =P], JiYouNg [Hai! =P], NovArtist [Another person trying to get me in trouble. ::pulls out brand:: Yeah, another! Though, you reminded me... there *will* be a separate H/K story coming this week! ::ducks and runs away before she can hear a response::], and digichan9 [::shrieks:: Enough with the puppy dog eyes! ::shudders:: I did it! I did it! Haha. I hurried, ne?]  
  
Well, at least I'm glad I'm out of breath! That means somebody likes it. ^_^ Thank you, all of you.  
  
Warnings: More slight slight slight cute Z/K fluff. Um... yeah. Ugh. I just could not get it right. Yeah... I just left it. I'll go back and fix it when I figure it out. ^_^  
  
  
  
-------------------Towryk Eyes Pt. 7-------------------------------  
  
At this point, everyone was a little too traumatized to actually give a significantly shocked response to the boy that had been punched in the face. Holy cracker barrels --- this was way too much to absorb. ESPECIALLY within a fifteen minute timeframe.  
  
The boy in question laid in shock upon the floor, on his BACK no less. Still managing to remain slack-jawed, he awarded a sufficiently perturbed expression upon the doppelganger of his heretofore meek and mild Repairer. It was enough to make his head spin.  
  
And yours as well, ne? NE??  
  
Anyway, Azuma's immediate [albeit juvenile] reaction was to laugh.  
  
"INSTRUCTOR!"  
  
"QUIET!!" he ordered, more out of habit than anger. He took an experimental step forward, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn't tip over. /You know things are weird when you consciously have to stop yourself from tipping over because of your ---/ He froze and blocked the thought. He didn't want himself zoning out again. He let loose another heavy sigh and tried to survey the damage.  
  
First there was Hiead, laying in as much shock as a cold-hearted jerk could bear to spare. At his feet stood a girl who looked like Ikhny except. I dunno.. _with_ self resolve. At least, that's the best that anyone could really say about her since it was the first time they had seen her. Her hair was a little bit darker and she didn't have her trademark glasses. In their stead, a soon to be trademark smirk lingered on her face. After a moment it turned into obvious disgust and she snorted, turning away from Hiead and shifting her glare to Azuma. "Got an eye problem?" Almost as if on cue she looked down and upon seeing his chest, burst into insanely disturbing laughter. Her dark eyes sparked with ridicule --- no--- _evil_. Yeah. That's what it was. "Nice bust, Hijikata. I'm sure you'll work your way up the G.O.A. social ladder without a hitch!!"  
  
"WHAT?!" growled the offended, but before he could get far enough into a rant about the protection of _his_ bust, Rill threw her a look loaded with so much frost that the Ikhny's cheeks tingled.  
  
"Excuse YOU, whatever the freak you are, but those aren't _his_."  
  
Ikhny returned a similar look. "So. lost your livelihood, eh Rill?" Another evil smirk crossed her face. "Looks like you're off G.O.A. on the next shipment. Azuma hasn't got any other reason to keep you around now that he doesn't have to pay for the object of his ogling. Life's that way sometimes." Rill's face burned.  
  
"U-um, excuse me," began the forgotten Ikhny meekly, rising from the floor, but another angry look from her twin knocked her back on the floor with a frightened 'eep'. "S-sorry."  
  
"Hey, you leave her alone!" blurted Kizna immediately. Her mind took a second to take into account the fact that she was protecting Ikhny from --- well --- Ikhny --- but she shook the thought from her mind. She might as well focus on something was wasn't WEIRD. Like argue. That ALWAYS works.  
  
The addressed Ikhny gave Kizna a critical once over. "I don't take orders from Milo*."  
  
"From WHO?!"  
  
"Nevermind, kitty." The Ikhny swept her hair behind her head. "I haven't got time to play with you. I've got much bigger, better, and less odd- looking fish to fry." Everyone unconsciously twitched when she cast her disdainful glaze over the rest of them and grinned. "Ta ta." And with this, Ikhny #2 waltzed out the door.  
  
Everyone except Kizna relaxed. Nevermind the fact that she was _gone_, but the freak had called her... Called her.. some name she didn't know! And she didn't like it!  
  
A small happy moan sounded behind her and she turned her head to see Zero's face slightly pink. She blinked. "Uh, Zero?"  
  
He smiled happily and shifted his right leg. "Ah, that's nice..." She looked down to see that her tail, which seemed as pissed as she was, had chosen to work it out by thrashing against his leg.  
  
"Hey, cut that out!" The scolded tail stopped abruptly and sulkily made its way back to her side. It twitched annoyedly every couple of seconds.  
  
"Kizna?" Everyone collectively [don't ask why, de gozaru] turned to look at the other Ikhny in fear. The Ikhny eeped in fear, causing the others to relax visibly. They all turned their attention away from her. She turned her frightened gaze back to Kizna, who moved to her half in annoyance and half in sympathy. Sometimes you really couldn't get mad at a true weakling. .  
  
"What is it, Ikhny?"  
  
"Thank you for... for protecting me from her," she whisphered a tiny smile on her face. "You're... you're a good friend."  
  
Kizna gave her a weak smile. "Sure, no problem. Now, though... Where did that second Ikhny come from?"  
  
The Ikhny's response was cut off when a movement from the right attracted her attention. Kizna turned to see Hiead finally rise and dust himself off. He paused in the middle to abruptly look in their direction. When the Ikhny remaining gave a tiny 'eep,' he gave her an unreadable look and walked out the door.  
  
It was Clay's voice this time that cut the silence. "Shouldn't we be stopping them?"  
  
"Good riddance to BOTH OF them," replied Rill bitterly. She cast a baleful glance down at her lacking parts and sighed heavily.  
  
Clay stared at her. "Something really, REALLY big just happened here. You're the doctor, right DOCTOR Rill? As interesting as I find all these changes to be, shouldn't YOU be quarantining them or something? You know, just in case it's some sort of contagious thing?"  
  
Rill pointedly looked down at her chest again and back up at him. "Contagious?"  
  
The boy blushed lightly and pushed up his glasses. "Well, maybe not, but these things should be studied! I mean, would could be on the verge of some phenomenal breakthrough! What if we could somehow --- yes! What if we could somehow find a way to enhance human EX?! If we could control it's effects we could ---"  
  
He finally snapped out of it and realized that Rill was walking out of the room. She paused and turned around.  
  
"Listen. I, for one, am all for a little rest and relaxation." Another look down. "This is going to take some getting used to. I think I'd better start now." And with an odd look on her face, the good doctor made her way out the door.  
  
*Thank goodness she's gone. That woman is one horror to behold.*  
  
"No joke. I wouldn't trade her for a--" Yamagi blinked and turned slowly to Tsukasa with a heavy sigh. "I keep forgetting. Man, this is really going to take some getting used to."  
  
"*I know,*" responded she both in thought speak and normal speak. Yamagi shivered.  
  
"Tsukasa, that is just... _weird_! Can ya try not to do that?"  
  
A hurt expression flashed across her face, but Yamagi was too short to notice it [ . ]. She bowed her head a little, then after a moment of thought lifted it again and stared him straight in the eye.  
  
"I'll be in the Relaxation room." With a stiff nod, Tsukasa then departed from the band of oddballs [no pun intended]. Saki watched Tsukasa leave, then turned to Yamagi and smiled blindingly. He eyeballed her wearily.  
  
"What?"  
  
*THWACK*  
  
"You know, for a long time I thought that Clay was the most socially unacceptable Candidate in the whole of G.O.A.--" She stopped short, putting her arm down and looking slowly at bedraggled Clay. After a moment of staring contemplatively into his eyes, she continued solemnly. "I felt the urge to say that you were, but a moment of logical thought told me you only took second." She smiled crookedly. "Sorry about hitting you."  
  
Yamagi reeled, spluttering. "Why you--!"  
  
"HEY!"  
  
Kizna's tail whipped dangerously and a tiger-like gleam sparked in her eyes. "Think about it."  
  
The purple-haired boy laughed nervously and patted Saki's arm. "-- brilliant, sensuous young woman. Excuse me." Aforementioned boy skedadled out the door. Azuma giggled, drawing the remaining attention to himself. He wrapped his arms around himself as best he could considering, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Delving into his old personality, he threw a heated glare at the last four.  
  
"What are you looking at??"  
  
Instead of answering, they all burst into hysterical laughter. Clay was the first able to the speak, wiping his eyes from beneath his glasses.  
  
"Interesting that you should say that, Instructor. You would think it would be obvious."  
  
"Haha! Look at the girly man! Girly man girly man!"  
  
"Zero - he he - THAT - ha ha - IS NOT - eeehee hee - NICE - bwahahahhahaha!"  
  
"YOU ALL ARE SOO MEAN!!" squealed Azuma. Everyone halted immediately, staring blankly as the Instructor burst into tears and flung himself from the room, arms raised and flopping awkwardly at his sides to avoid running into his new assets. It was ludicrous in it's stereotypicality.  
  
Funny, but disturbing none the less. No one felt the urge to laugh anymore.  
  
"I just want you all to know that no one else in our quadrant runs like a girl,*" managed Zero. Kizna gave him a dirty look, but he only blinked back. "What? I'm serious."  
  
"Well, it looks like the votes are in," began Saki. "Everyone's left. As much as I don't like it, I don't think we have a real choice. We'd better get back to our rooms and assess the damage from there." She took one quick glance around and shuddered involuntarily. "I feel like this place is a disease within itself. If I don't get outta here I'm gonna catch whatever EX virus you people contracted."  
  
"Your vote of confidence is always appreciated, Saki."  
  
"Don't mention it. So troops, let's up and freakin atom up outta here."  
  
They just about scrambled over each other to get out and nearly ran into the very, very LATE group of G.O.A. workers and drones on the way to survey the damage and clean up the mess. A number of inquiring outbursts rang out from the room and the candidates and repairers broke into sprints. They'd had enough for one day.  
  
  
  
At least most of them had. On the other hand, the day of one individual was only beginning. Or, the half of one. Whatever.  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
Yawn. "Man... I'm getting tired. I think the simplicity of those people wore me out." The speaker stretched lazily and paused in the middle of the hallway. Question marks circled around her head. "What the Jimminy? Where am I?"  
  
Voices sounded down the hallway and she ducked behind a doorway. The voices grew louder.  
  
"-good to be back on G.O.A.!" An exaggerated yawn accompanied the loud voice and the speaker sighed. "I wonder if the gruel's the same. It would be great to come home to a delicious meal for once."  
  
"You've stuffed your face for hours. If you speak one more time about food..."  
  
"But I'm HUNGRY!!"  
  
The hidden person got a good look at the two, matching the voices with the bodies. The pained look on the face of the first boy dubbed him as the second speaker. He tiredly ran a hand through his sea green hair before disappearing down the other hallway. The other tall boy, one with spiky brown hair, dressed mostly in orange, crossed his arms behind his head and followed with a brilliant smile. "Oi, Garu, you know I'm kidding, right?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Hey. Talk to me."  
  
"..."  
  
"Seriously! Garu!"  
  
"If you're going to wine, go back to GIS!"  
  
"That's harsh..." The voices trailed off and the hidden was left alone again. A moment of thought and a devilish grin later, a dark brown pair of eyes looked down the hallway where the boys had come from.  
  
"GIS, hunh? I wonder..." A quick glance and the dark shape flittered down the hallway.  
  
Uh oh.  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
Zero and Kizna arrived the girl's housing quarters in a very weary state. They hadn't spoken the whole way. In fact, half of Kizna wondered why the boy had even bothered to walk her back, but didn't want to disturb the concentrated look on his face. She had seen a number of emotions cross his face this day, but one of thought hadn't been one of them. A sweatdrop appeared on the right side of her face.  
  
/It would be better for his brain for me to let him think. I think./  
  
"Kizna."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Zero slowed to a stop and cautioned a careful glance at girl's tail. It was a fight for him to bring his eyes back up to her face. /Stupid, stupid boy brain./ "I was wondering... do you feel any different?"  
  
"No," said Kizna without hesitating. Actually, she hadn't stopped to think about it. She didn't _think_ she felt any different. However... "Hmmm?" She stared closely at him. "Why?"  
  
He shifted nervously under the look. "I was just making sure. I don't know... I wasn't really thinking about your safety when it all happened. It was so sudden..."  
  
She twitched. /Irk./ "Well, um, thank you for your honesty, Zero." /I think./  
  
He raised his eyes again and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. /I still can't say it./ He closed it and wracked his brain. /C'mon, Zero, think of something that doesn't sound so _stupid_... heck, _anything_.../  
  
Kizna shifted nervously. /Uh oh. He's giving me that look again./  
  
/Say the first thing that comes to your mind./  
  
/I have to say something! This is really wigging me out!/ She pushed a nonexistent strand of hair behind one of her eyes and forced a non-nervous smile. "Well Zero, thanks a lot for walking me back to my room..."  
  
/No, not the first thing that comes to your mind! That's what makes people think you're so STUPID, _stupid_!/  
  
There was an unreadable look that spread over Zero's face. He tilted his head down a little. "U-um..."  
  
/Hey you! Get moving!/  
  
The pink-haired girl raised an eyebrow and leaned in a little bit. "Zero? I think--"  
  
"I REALLY LIKE YOUR EARS!!!" exploded the boy unexpectedly.  
  
The force of the yell made them both step back from each other. There was discombobulated laughter somewhere far down the hallway and Zero reddened. "Uh... sorry. I mean...yeah, I really like your ears." /Yeah, that was smooth./  
  
Kizna twitched, not really sure of what to say. "Um... thanks...?" /That was sudden./ She colored a little bit. "Um. should I ask you about the sudden interest in my ears? I've had them for a while now..."  
  
The boy coughed. "Yeah, um, I guess I meant to say that I like your tail." /ARGGGGH!/ "Your ears and your tail." /shutupshutupshutupshutup/ "Your ears and your tail go well together. Er --- yourreallylooknicewithyourearsandyourtail. I mean, er, not that you looked bad or anything, but they make you look cool. Cooler. Uh, they look nice--- mpf."  
  
His babbling was halted when Kizna's fingers wrapped themselves around his mouth. She stared at him for a moment, then let go. Her voice was neutral. "Better?"  
  
He sighed heavily and nodded. "Thank you. I --- um..." He took half a step back when she raised her fingers again. "Hold on, I'm cool, but..." He braved two steps closer and hesitatingly placed a hand on top of her head. "I just wanted to say that... because I didn't want you to think that you looked like a freak or something. People can really be cruel sometimes..."  
  
Kizna fought through the feeling in her chest. "Kind of like you when we first met?"  
  
His face burned slightly. /Will she ever get over that? Eesh, some people./ "_Yeah_, but I really meant what I said then. You can hide your ears if you want, but I don't really care." He took his hand off and turned, earlier unease forgotten. "Even if your ears and tail suddenly drained your energy and you turned into a kitty or something and really sucked at being a Repairer -- "  
  
The mood shattered again and Kizna was left annoyed. "Zero--!"  
  
"We're _partners_." His blue eyes looked at her again. "Okay? I'm going to be a Goddess pilot no matter what." He turned the stopped. "Just... try not to turn into a kitty."  
  
She whipped around and growled at him. He turned to reveal a mischevious grin before taking off at a full out run. He may have been a klutz when it came to emotions, but he was a basic animal that knew when to run when it was in dangerous. Most of the time.  
  
Which left Kizna standing in the hallway stunned yet _again_. This really had been a weird, weird day. She blindly turned to open her door. Sleep. Yes... definitely going to get some sleep.  
  
A smile unexpectedly spread across her face.  
  
/Not./  
  
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Maaaaaaaaaaaaan that was hard... hard to get back on track at least. ::laughs nervously:: I hope I did it right, but tell me if I didn't. I really appreciate all of your e-mails, reviews and suggestions. I mean, what would I be without them? /a writer without e-mails, reviews and suggestions. Durh/ Shut it. ::beatific smile:: Neeway... see you soon.  
  
Next Chapter: More oddities anyone? ::sigh:: I'm afraid so, though they aren't going to be anywhere near the point of the situation. Clay's thoughts actually come out in this chapter. Really. Seriously. I'm not lying this time. Seriously! If you have any questions, you better tell me... T_T... OH! I nearly forgot. Yeah. Azuma still wants to continue with his plan. And what's that dastardly hidden figure doin' 'round GGIS? Yeah, you heard me. G. I. Frickin S. And please... please don't tell me... that the EX reaction affected the guys too?!? ::tears:: What the heck kind of story is this?! Please make it end!!!!!! 


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